Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113; FAX: (202) 690-0460
Andrea McNally 

FSIS Signs State Agreements Supporting Food Safety Education For Animal And Egg Producers

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2002--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service recently signed 11 state partnership cooperative agreements to fund food safety education projects for animal and egg producers.

The cooperative agreements focus on preventive measures that can be taken on the farm and cover a variety of topics including Salmonella enteritidis, drug residues and biosecurity. The agreements are designed to provide guidance and funding to the many stakeholders, such as food animal producers, veterinarians and public health personnel, who all play a role in ensuring food safety at the production level.

"FSIS is committed to ensuring food safety at every step in the farm-to-table continuum," said Dr. Garry L. McKee, FSIS administrator. "Safety measures used by animal and egg producers can help reduce the amount of food safety problems further down the line in slaughter and processing establishments."

Through these state cooperative agreements, FSIS will provide more than $280,000 in total funding to Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia. The cooperative agreements were designed following the adoption of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point inspection program.

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FSIS protects consumers by ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Access news releases and other information at the FSIS web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.

For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460

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