WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement today on the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences’ final report on their evaluation of the food safety requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ground beef purchase program.
“I am pleased that the committee concluded that USDA’s current ground beef specification requirements have been protective of public health over the past decade. We are committed to improving the safety and quality of foods purchased by USDA and the efforts of the distinguished members of NRC’s committee that evaluated the food safety requirements are greatly appreciated.
“I requested this evaluation as part of several new initiatives implemented earlier this year to further assure the safety and quality of food purchased by USDA for the National School Lunch Program and other food and nutrition assistance programs. The USDA will use NRC’s findings and recommendations as a roadmap to continue to strengthen its specification development processes.”
