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Beef Produced by Advanced Meat / Bone Separation Machinery & Meat Recovery Systems
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From January through August 2002, FSIS conducted a survey of Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) products derived
from the vertebral column of cattle to establish a baseline for the prevalence of spinal cord and Dorsal Root
Ganglia (DRG) in beef AMR products (referred to as the 2002 Beef AMR Survey). In the 2002 Beef AMR Survey,
the Agency found that while some establishments were able to consistently produce beef AMR product that was
free of spinal cord and DRG, a majority of the establishments had difficulty keeping spinal cord and DRG out
of their AMR products. Overall, FSIS found that approximately 76% (25 of 34) of the establishments whose
AMR product was tested had positive laboratory results for spinal cord, DRG, or both in their final beef AMR
products. The survey also found that approximately 35% (89 of 256) of all final AMR product samples that were
tested had positive laboratory results for spinal cord, DRG, or both.
In March 2003, after completion of the 2002 Beef AMR Survey, FSIS implemented a routine regulatory sampling
program of beef products from AMR systems as an additional measure to prevent misbranding of beef AMR
products. Prior to the implementation of this regulatory sampling program, FSIS inspection program personnel
collected AMR product samples for analysis for the presence of spinal cord tissue only if
they believed that the establishment was not completely removing spinal cord from the vertebral column before
the vertebral bones entered the AMR system (FSIS Directive 7160.2, April 14, 1997). Under the revised
regulatory sampling program, FSIS inspection program personnel take samples of beef AMR product on a routine
basis to verify that spinal cord tissue is not present in such product
(FSIS Directive
7160.3, Revision 1, August 25,
2003) | PDF.
The purpose of the initial regulatory program implemented in March
2003 was to test for Central Nervous System (CNS) tissue in samples
of beef AMR. CNS tissue includes brain or spinal cord tissues. Since
brain tissue would not be expected, a CNS positive was a sample positive
for spinal cord. On January 12, 2004, FSIS published an interim final
rule that prohibited Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) in beef AMR. When the
rule became effective on January 12, 2004, all random regulatory samples
were tested for both CNS and DRG tissues. Under the current regulatory program, production
lots that are positive for either DRG or CNS do not enter the food supply.
During 2003, the regulatory program was only looking for spinal cord. However, FSIS pathologists also examined
many of the samples for Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG). DRG results were recorded for 579 of the 843 regulatory samples.
These 579 samples were a mixture of the 342 random verification samples and 501 follow-up samples. DRG were found in
10.9 percent of the samples where DRG findings were recorded.
The results from random testing of beef AMR are summarized in Table 1.
All establishments producing Beef AMR and using vertebral columns as an ingredient are scheduled for a sample every
three weeks. After an establishment is scheduled, inspection program personnel then randomly select a production
lot to be tested. Table 1 does not include follow-up sampling to verify the effectiveness of preventive and
corrective actions taken after a random positive. The 2003 results for DRG were included in Table 1 to help
illustrate trends, recognizing that these results were based on a mixture of both random verification and follow-up
samples.
Figures 1 and 2
(PDF Only) include the available data covering 2002 through 2005 for
both CNS tissue (spinal cord) and DRG. The survey results from 2002
were included on both figures to help illustrate trends. That survey
found that approximately 35% (89 of 256) of beef AMR product samples
that were tested had positive laboratory results for spinal cord,
DRG, or both. None of the 2004-2005 regulatory samples tested positive
for both spinal cord and DRG. As shown in both Table 1 and Figures 1 and 2, the overall
percentage of samples positive for either CNS or DRG was 3.9% in 2005,
down from the 35% found in the 2002 survey.
Tables & Figures
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Last Modified:
June 15, 2006 |
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