Congressional and Public Affairs
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Sarah Tarshis

Food Safety Employees Honored At Annual Awards Ceremony

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2003—More than 100 Food Safety and Inspection Service employees were honored today by Agriculture Secretary Ann M.Veneman for their exceptional performance in promoting food safety and protecting public health during the 57^th Annual U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Honor Awards Ceremony.

“The Honor Awards highlight the dedication and talents of USDA employees who contribute in so many ways to improving the world around us.” said Veneman.  “Each of these honorees is to be commended for their accomplishments in public service.”

Six different teams of FSIS employees were nominated by the Agency and honored for their distinguished work.  Multiple group awards were given to recognize the efforts to improve food safety internationally; for operation of an efficient and effective organization; and for promotion of public health.

“It is the everyday efforts of the individual employees within this agency that makes FSIS the great public health agency that it is today,” said FSIS administrator Dr. Garry L. McKee. “I am privileged to be associated with those employees who were honored for making this agency the best that it can be.”

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman presented the awards at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. 

A group of 11 Washington, D.C.-based employees were recognized for making outstanding strides in training food safety regulators from countries around the world.  The team planned and delivered comprehensive food safety seminars attended annually by more than 100 foreign government inspection officials.  The work of the team has helped establish FSIS as a food safety and public health leader in the international community. 

The Field Automation and Information Management Team (FAIM), a group of 11 employees based in Washington, D.C., were recognized for developing new software programs that provide FSIS inspectors with electronic access to official documents.  This enables the inspectors to perform their daily activities efficiently.  The team also updated three key applications—the Performance Based Inspection System, an automated system for scheduling inspection and verification, and recording and reporting results; the Automated Import Information System, a fully automated system that schedules inspection assignments and random sampling of imported meat, poultry and egg products at U.S. ports-of-entry; and the Daily Activity Report, which documents activities performed by compliance officers.  FAIM is guiding the Agency through the most significant modernization in its history and helping to improve implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point inspection system. 

The Audit Enforcement Strategy Team, a group of 28 FSIS employees from Washington, D.C., was also honored.  The team developed and implemented an enforcement strategy to stimulate the implementation of changes to Italy’s inspection system, while at the same time protecting the health of U.S. consumers and ensuring continuing supplies of Italian meat products for American businesses. 

Sixteen employees from the Meat and Poultry Import and Improvement Team, based in Washington, D.C., were recognized for modernizing the Automated Import Information System (AIIS), a science-based system for inspection of imported meat and poultry.  The team vastly improved the tools available to FSIS to evaluate the safety of imported meat and poultry and to ensure that only safe product is allowed to enter the U.S.  The team displayed exceptional creativity and diligence in designing and programming an automated system that permits FSIS to precisely target sampling of imported shipments so that results are statistically reliable and can be used to evaluate the performance of foreign countries and their eligibility to continue exporting to the U.S.

A group of 31 employees from the Food Safety Correlation Team, based in Omaha, Neb., were honored for improving the safety of the food supply by enhancing the quality and consistency of inspection on a nationwide basis.  The team provides correlation between industry and inspection personnel on regulatory requirements and performs detailed assessments of plant operations.  The team’s organized, concentrated and direct feedback from food safety subject matter experts to field inspectors and plant personnel provides a positive, no-fault way to achieve improved food safety systems in meat and poultry plants.

The Field Service Laboratories Team, a group of 34 employees, was honored for its efforts in preparing the field service laboratories to become accredited under International Organization for Standardization 17025 standards, while ensuring operation and delivery of daily program services.  The field service laboratories are also developing and implementing a laboratory information management system.  This system is expected to provide additional time efficiencies, support the quality assurance accreditation program and provide the basis for a much broader integration of information resources within and outside the Agency. 

In addition, other USDA agencies nominated nine FSIS employees for departmental recognition.  These employees made significant achievements in restoring U.S. trade relations with Russia and in implementing accounting processes and internal controls that resulted in a successful financial audit from the Office of the Inspector General.  These accomplishments show the teamwork and support combined by all of the different USDA agencies.

• Please see attached profiles

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FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460

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