Food Safety

USDA announces halt to importing of fresh Brazilian beef

Policy is result of higher rejection rates

The United States Department of Agriculture has announced the suspension of imports of fresh beef from Brazil.

The new policy is a result of higher rejection rates of fresh beef from Brazil compared to other countries. Since March, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has inspected 100 percent of shipments from Brazil. In that time, FSIS has refused entry to 11 percent of fresh Brazilian beef products; the rate for shipments from other countries is 1 percent. The reasons for the rejections have included public health concerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues.

The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the USDA agrees the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture has taken sufficient action.

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Casey Laughman is the former Editor in Chief of Food Engineering magazine. He has almost two decades’ experience as a writer and editor for mainstream and trade publications. He spent several years as a writer and editor for two news services before becoming the editor of a legal publication and managing editor of a trade magazine that covered the commercial facilities market.