Month: February 2016

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced the finalization of new federal standards to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter in ground chicken and turkey products, as well as in raw chicken breasts, legs, and wings. Based on scientific risk assessments, FSIS estimates that implementation of these standards will lead to an average of 50,000 prevented illnesses annually. …

Glen Taylor, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and many other businesses, has signed a deal to purchase the former PM Beef plant in Windom, Minn., for an undisclosed sum. …

The cost of implementing country-of-origin meat labeling was not necessarily responsible for widespread discounting of imported cattle that forced lower prices on sellers, according to findings of a 2009 Agriculture Department investigation obtained by Bloomberg BNA. Contrary to claims by meatpacking groups and cattle importers, the department's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) found that reasons for the discounts were inconsistent and were partially based on a struggle to sell import-labeled beef to U.S. consumers. …