000542 Clinton Criticizes Meat IndustryMay 28, 2000Washington - President Clinton urged the food industry “to use its vast resources” to maintain the safety of meat following a Texas judge's decision striking down a testing program to detect salmonella contamination in ground beef processing plants. “Unfortunately, a small minority of meat plants are acting against the best interests of the American people,” Clinton said in a statement issued by the White House. In a ruling last week, U.S. District Judge Joe Fish said that USDA exceeded its authority by pulling inspectors from a Dallas plant - effectively shutting it down - after the facility failed the department's salmonella inspection standards. The judge said the tests are not a fair measure of sanitary conditions in a plant. His ruling applies to plants in the northern district of Texas. USDA officials said that the testing program ensures raw ground beef is safe for consumers. “The Justice Department has vigorously defended this vital program and will decide on an expedited basis what further legal action to take,” Clinton said. The legal battle threatens to “undermine an inspection system that is clearly effective in reducing food poisoning, jeopardizing the confidence that consumers have in the safety of the food they eat.” The salmonella standards are part of a new inspection system that requires companies to prevent pathogens from reaching food products rather than leaving it to USDA inspectors to find contaminants. USDA withdrew its inspectors from the Supreme Beef Inc. plant Nov. 30, 1999, but was forced to send them back later in the day when Fish granted a temporary restraining order. The plant had failed three salmonella tests. Supreme Beef, a supplier of meat to the federal school lunch program, said the rules were arbitrary.
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