Meat Packing Industry Term Paper

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Safety and Health Issues in Meat Processing Industry

In the meat processing industry, health and safety issues are of vital importance, in view of the several risks arising out of microbial contamination of meat and the occupational hazards faced by workers. Past experiences have shown that microbial reproduction in meat and meat products can reach alarming proportions traversing across countries and even continents. The infamous mad cow disease and the foot and mouth disease in cattle has rattled the British meat industry for a considerable period, resulting in loss of image, confidence and erosion of profits. North America's main problem is the widespread prevalence of eschericia coli in meat, more commonly known as the hamburger disease. It is well-known that meat is highly susceptible to attack of bacteria and virus and hence there is a constant need to address this risk. When microbial activity sets in, the quality of meat is affected and the consumer suffers from food poisoning or infection.

According to Dr. Linda Saucier of Canada's Food Research and Development Centre (FRDC), every year about 5 to 10% of the global population is inflicted by some kind of food poisoning; of which one out of three cases of food-poisoning is due to contamination in meat or meat products.
(Brodeur, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada). Since the animals brought for slaughtering will have microbes in one form or the other, the risk of infection is invariably high while processing the meat. Another major issue in meat industry is the safety and health of workers carrying out the processing operations. Meat processing involves a great deal of physical activity and the compulsion to work in environmentally hostile conditions. The nature of work requires workers to manually handle heavy equipment on a repetitive basis and this can lead to serious physical injuries and illnesses. Unsafe working conditions will lead to lower productivity and increase the risk of losses. Lack of hygiene and safety in the meat processing units can lead to major quality problems with respect to the final quantity of meat. Once meat shows sign of infection, it will face market rejection, cannot be sold and may have to be destroyed......

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"Meat Packing Industry", 29 November 2003, Accessed.26 April. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/meat-packing-industry-158865