What is BIFSCo?

The Beef Industry Food Safety Council is coordinating a broad effort to solve pathogen issues, focusing on research prioritization and information dissemination. Although industry segments may not always agree on all issues, it is critical we be united in our efforts to solve the E. coli O157:H7 problem.

We welcome your input. Send questions and comments to us through any of the participating BIFSCo organizations, or e-mail through this form.

Statement of Principle

The Beef Industry Food Safety Council is committed to developing industry-wide, science-based strategies to solve the problems of foodborne pathogens in beef. The Council will accomplish this by identifying and prioritizing research needds from farm to table; developing programs to help industry segments operate in today's business environment; speaking with one voice in seeking regulatory and legislative solutions through education; developing and implementing industry information programs to assist in the transfer of technology into the market place and providing pertinent, accurate and reliable information to consumers.

Overview

The U.S. beef industry is committed to producing safe food. Food safety issues will continue to generate the need for change, both to respond to public concerns and to provide policy makers with scientific data as a basis for sound, reasoned judgments. As new and creative foods become more common, continuing efforts will need a strong foundation to assess the complexity of interactions of food components as they relate to food safety.

To this end, the industry and the scientific community realize that further improvements can be made through a collaborative effort based upon:

• The use of science-based pathogen intervention strategies to enhance sanitary processes that include effective and microbiological verifiable Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• The principles of prevention and risk reduction from farm to table that include effective monitoring and intervention strategies.
• The understanding by each segment of the beef food chain of the food safety risks affected by production and the steps needed to ensure a safe beef experience.

The beef industry believes that the optimal system will have a food safety net extending from farm to consumer. To this end, the Council was formed, made up of industry executives, beef producers, university and government scientists, industry association executives and experts that represent each segment in the beef food chain. This cooperative effort clearly displays a deep commitment to further action to enhance the safety of the Nation’s beef supply.

Strategy

The Beef Industry Food Safety Council facilitates input from producers, packers, processors, distributors, restaurateurs and food retailers to form a coordinated frame of reference for action. The strategy of implementing a food safety plan must be responsive to the competitive and customer-driven dynamics of each segment. By matching the right objective with each segment, the beef industry builds on current safety efforts through an industry-wide strategy. Through these cooperative efforts, the industry gains access to enthusiasm, expertise and needed resources for strategy execution and implementation.

Today, the beef industry is challenged to recognize and address an expanding and increasingly complex food safety agenda that must serve an even more complex food delivery system. Meeting these new and complex needs requires both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary efforts.

By-laws