Proposed USDA poultry rule raises fears about food safety

The USDA is set to approve regulations that would increase processing to 175 chickens per minute and decrease oversight by 75 percent.

Storified by AJAMStream· Fri, Mar 07 2014 16:39:49

The proposed overhaul – called the HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project – would increase poultry processing to 175 chickens per minute, up from the current rate of 140 per minute. The regulation would also decrease federal inspectors on site by 75 percent, placing increased responsibility in the hands of plant workers.

The USDA originally proposed the regulations two years ago, and they are set to be approved next month. But many critics are protesting the plan. More than 100 labor, health and consumer advocacy groups wrote and delivered a letter to President Obama, along with nearly 220,000 petitions, on Thursday.

Food Poisoning Bulletin created a GIF demonstrating the speed at which chickens would be processed. Critics argue the proposed processing speed would make it more difficult for inspectors to find problems such as feathers, feces and bile on the carcasses.

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"We are focusing on the things that matter, not things we thought mattered in the '50s. We've got to reverse the trend on salmonella and this is a big step toward it," said Elizabeth Hagen, the agriculture undersecretary for food safety. Despite opposition, the Food Safety and Inspection Service says they will not withdraw the rule.

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