Friday, February 3, 2012

International rendering symposium focuses on quality, risk management

    The International Rendering Symposium, held during the 2012 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo, focused on the quality of rendered products as well as the risks for bacteria such as Salmonella and how to manage and maintain safety in rendering plants.
    The industry has developed an aggressive quality assurance program that includes a code of practice, with more than 100 plants certified to date, said Dr. David Meeker, senior vice president of the National Renderers Association, during his presentation Rendering Code of Practice for Safety and Quality. “This code goes a long way in demonstrating that plants are safe,” said Meeker.
    Tom Dobbs of Darling International Inc./Griffin Industries gave a presentation on Quality Assurance in Manufacturing Rendered Products. According to Dobbs, plants must have a lengthy list of plans, policies and procedures for safety and quality. “The rendering industry is striving all the time to improve its processes," said Dobbs. "The bottom line is we all want safety."
    Dr. Frank Jones, emeritus professor at the University of Arkansas and president of Performance Poultry Consulting, presented on Controlling Salmonella in Feed. According to Jones, Salmonella is highly adaptable to a variety of environmental situations and can survive for a long time. Because of these evolutionary advantages, it’s unlikely that the bacteria will be eradicated from the food chain any time soon, if ever. “It’s going to be a continuing battle, so we’d better get used to it and go forward,” said Jones. 

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