COLLEGE STATION — To help small and very small meat processors find practical solutions to potential food safety issues, the Southwest Meat Association and Texas A&M University have joined forces with the Texas Beef Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to present a Food Safety Forum scheduled Sept. 15-17 in College Station. This forum will help processors address Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point implementation and other food safety issues.
During the forum, attendees will gain practical knowledge and experience in slaughter and processing hygiene, pathogen intervention and validation steps, temperature control, raw and cooked product flow separation in small facilities, cooking step validation, post-cooking contamination, interpreting laboratory results, and properly maintaining records.
“We think this will be a unique opportunity for meat processors to examine food safety issues in an actual processing plant such as the Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center,” said Dr. Jeff Savell, professor and meat science section leader in the department of animal science at Texas A&M.
The forum has been designed to allow enough time for the attendees to participate in each of the modules, experience how each process control activity can be incorporated in a small facility, and then exchange ideas with the forum leaders.
“No other vehicle has been available that will allow meat processors to witness and perform hands-on applications of key food safety strategies such as pathogen intervention, CCP monitoring and record-keeping,” Savell said.
Because of the support of the Texas Beef Council and USDA, there is no registration charge for participants. However, space is limited and participants must register by calling Pam McConal at (979) 845-3935. Additional information on hotel accommodations and the forum agenda can be obtained from McConal.
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