010433 Restaurant Association Comments on BSE

Washington - The National Restaurant Association hosted a meeting in Washington, DC during which its members discussed BSE-prevention initiatives first-hand with officials from USDA and FDA, supplier groups and other scientific experts. This formal meeting adds to the Association's longstanding and ongoing involvement in BSE-prevention issues.

The Association intends to communicate aggressively that the United States food supply is the safest in the world. Strict BSE-prevention measures in the U.S., the scientific facts of BSE, and the government's and food industry's commitment to ongoing vigilance justify strong confidence in this fact.

Because restaurants buy the food that will provide 54 billion meals in 2001, and the nature of BSE requires that prevention measures occur before food is purchased for sale in restaurants, restaurants in many ways are consumers when it comes to this issue. At the same time, restaurants are committed to ensuring the food they serve to the public is safe. The restaurant industry takes confidence in the facts about BSE prevention in the United States, including:

- No cases of BSE have ever been identified in the U.S.

- The U.S. has strict standards to prevent BSE from ever entering the country, and to stop it if it did.

- Even in countries that have cases of BSE, it is extremely unlikely to obtain the human disease similar to BSE (new variant Creutzfeltd-Jakob Disease, or vCJD).

- The BSE disease agent has never been found in cattle muscle meat in any country. In countries with BSE, the disease agent may be found in cattle central nervous system tissue like brain and spinal cord.

As an industry that relies upon serving safe food to its customers, the restaurant industry advocates the maintenance of, and compliance with, strict prevention measures. It takes seriously the public's perception of the integrity of these strict measures, as well as the critical importance of communicating scientific facts about BSE. During yesterday's meeting, restaurateurs received assurances from USDA and FDA, suppliers and scientific experts that these communities are committed to BSE prevention and education. As a leader in food safety, the restaurant industry will remain vigilant in ensuring the public's confidence in the safest food supply in the world.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com