WASHINGTON – Last week the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced a two-day public meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) to review and discuss agency pre-harvest and validation performance measures.

These meetings are scheduled for Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) and Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Each day registration will begin on-site at 8:30 a.m.


These meetings will expand on the pre-harvest discussions begun at the 2010 NACMPI meeting and more thoroughly explore options to prevent hazards from entering establishments on source animals or products. After the issues are presented to the full committee, NACMPI will divide into two subcommittees, meet and develop recommendations. Each subcommittee will provide a report of their comments and recommendations to the full committee before it concludes activities on Sept. 23.

Meeting location details and agenda will be accessible at theNACMPI website.

NACMPI meets on food-safety concerns and advises the secretary of agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities. It also contributes to USDA's regulatory policy development. Recommendations are sent to USDA’s undersecretary for food safety for consideration and review by the secretary of agriculture.