USDA inspectors in poultry plants should focus more on food safety activities: GAO Report

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) today issued its report about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to modernize poultry inspection and the pilot program the proposal is based on, known as the HACCP-based Inspection Models Project (HIMP). “The National Chicken Council (NCC) agrees with GAO’s conclusions that strengths of the modernized poultry inspection system include giving plants responsibility and flexibility for ensuring food safety and quality and allowing USDA inspectors to focus more on food safety activities,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. Read More