Sanitation requirements for equipment and utensils found in the Bureau of Animal Industry sanitation regulations, first published as 7 CFR 8 in the 1938 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), remain intact. But times have changed. Stainless steel and plastic have replaced cast iron, steel, and…
Dressing Rooms, Lavatories, and Toilets
This is the last article in a series about facilities. Dressing rooms, lavatories, and toilets are a life necessity. We do not talk about them much, but we cannot avoid them. If you prepare food for human consumption, they are essential because this is where you maintain your personal…
Water Supply
I took precautions yet I still contracted Shigella dysenteriae. Most likely this was from consuming fresh fruit from a vendor who washed it with water contaminated with human feces. You cannot take the safety of the water for granted. 9 CFR 416.2(g) shares…
Plumbing and Sewage
In 21st century America, it is easy to take the pipes that carry potable water in and non-potable water out for granted. Out of sight should not be out of mind. My father was a plumber and routinely put me up close and personal….
Ventilation
When it comes to food safety, ventilation is neither the cause nor the solution to odors, vapors, and condensation. You prevent odors with structural containment and exhaust to the exterior, not by relocating odors elsewhere through air…
Light
Light is good. Historically, the federal government agrees. Regulations of the Bureau of Animal Industry, the first federal meat inspection agency, required that there “shall be abundant light…to ensure sanitary condition”
Construction
As a kid, I picked cherries from the cherry tree in our backyard. Another form of cherry-picking occurs when FSIS inspectors base an allegation of noncompliance on isolated regulatory text and ignore the qualifying regulatory text. 9 CFR 416.2(b): Construction is often cherry-picked.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Beginning to Farm
Over the last few months, we have collected responses from our members and supporters about aspects of farming that they wish they would have known about before they began their journey.
Grounds and Pest Control
An undeniable truth: someone will disappoint you at some point in your life. An undeniable falsehood: 9 CFR 416.2(a) prohibits insects and rodents within an official establishment.
Tangles with the USDA: A Member Testimonial
I’d been selling grass-fed meat products for several years and had never had any issues with the USDA. Until one day, I received a phone call from a distraught lady about the photo of our meat that I had posted online. The image was a big pile of meat that had “not for sale” written on…