To ensure the safety of food distributed through the National School Lunch Program, food banks, and other federal food and nutrition programs, the United States Department of Agriculture has established food safety and quality requirements for the ground beef it purchases. This National Research Council book reviews the scientific basis of the Department's ground beef safety standards, evaluates how the standards compare to those used by large retail and commercial food service purchasers of ground beef, and looks at ways to establish periodic evaluations of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. The book finds that although the safety requirements could be strengthened using scientific concepts, the prevention of future outbreaks of foodborne disease will depend on eliminating contamination during production and ensuring meat is properly cooked before it is served.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON AN EVALUATION OF THE FOOD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF THE FEDERAL PURCHASE GROUND BEEF PROGRAM
• BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
• Acknowledgments
• Letter to USDA
• SUMMARY
• BACKGROUND
• COMMITTEE’S STUDY APPROACH
• THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICEFEDERAL PURCHASE GROUND BEEF PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS
  • Outbreaks Associated with Ground Beef in Schools
  • Principles for Establishing Microbiological Criteria
  • Indicator Microorganisms as Potential Predictors of Food Safety
  • Agricultural Marketing Service Microbiological Requirements
  • Statistical Process Capability
  • Evaluation of the Statement of Work for Agricultural Marketing Service–Accredited Laboratories
• COMPARISON OF THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS WITH THOSE OF LARGE INDUSTRY PURCHASERS OF GROUND BEEF
• RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO PERFORM FUTURE EVALUATIONS RELATIVE TO RECOGNIZED BEST PRACTICES
  • Heuristic vs Science-Based Approach to Developing Specifications and a Food Safety Assurance System
  • Weight of Evidence and Role of Expert Opinion in Developing Science-Based Food Safety Requirements
  • Other Considerations
  • Overall Findings and Recommendations on How to Perform Future Periodic Evaluation of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES
• APPENDIX B Acronyms and Abbreviations

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, Contract No. AG-3A94-C-08-0018/AG-3A94-D-10-0082. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.