990323 Glickman Says Poultry Water Decision Expected Soon

Nashville, TN - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said he expects the department will announce soon if it will regulate the amount of water used in poultry processing.

“I think it will be fairly soon,” Glickman told delegates at the National Pork Producers Council meeting. The secretary would not discuss the specifics of the decision.

Poultry processors use large amounts of water from high-powered hoses and chilling baths to bring the internal temperatures of chickens and turkeys down to government standards as well as to clean and sanitize the birds.

Under the proposal, USDA would require poultry processors to prove they need to continue the practice of chilling poultry in baths of water after slaughter.

If the processors prove that the water is necessary for food safety, they will have to label their products to let customers know that the chicken or turkeys may weigh more, and potentially cost more, due to absorbed water.

The Agriculture Department received at least 250 comments on the proposal after it was announced in September. The proposal launched a verbal war between red meat and white meat producers with consumer groups, state government agencies and even the American Association of Retired Persons thrown in.

The poultry industry asked USDA to scrap the proposal, saying the chilling process is essential to fight harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, from entering the nation's food supply.

Members of the red meat industry, who generally use light misting and air chilling methods to cool their products, have long argued that government rules that greatly limit the use of water in beef, lamb and pork processing also should apply to poultry.

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