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Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. would better oversight of poultry processors’ sanitary practices and contamination controls as opposed to of visually checking each chicken and turkey for scabs and sores under a procedure that would save the industry $250 million a year.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the proffer, to be presented today, may prevent 5,200 foodborne illnesses a year by modernizing and making the system more operative by taking the emphasis off visual imperfections that can harm poultry sales rather than pick up safety.
“It’s obviously about safer food and fewer foodborne illnesses,” Vilsack said in an appraise. “It’s also about reducing the cost of production in an possessions way without redundancy or compromising safety.”
The U.S. would save as much as $40 million a year within two or three years, in part through the elimination of inspection jobs, Vilsack said. Last week, the secretary announced a reorganization of his mechanism that would lower spending by about $150 million a year, or 1 percent of the rest on’s budget. The public will have 90 days to clarification on the proposal.
Source: BusinessWeek