Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 13

     
     1        A.  Distribution centres and then at the restaurant, that
     2        is correct.
     3
     4   Q.   Sorry, distribution centres and then the restaurant.  Is
     5        there any significant danger of food contamination or
     6        adulteration by pathogens or anything similar at the
     7        distribution point, distribution centre?
     8        A.  If I understood your question clearly, you said "any"?
     9
    10   Q.   "Any significant", I said?
    11        A.  "Any significant" -- there is always a chance, even
    12        though in our case we have certainly proven that by our
    13        records, that chance is very small.  But we have taken the
    14        approach that as small as it is, it is a top priority that
    15        we focus our attention on those little, insignificant
    16        risks.
    17
    18   Q.   What kind of dangers to human health may arise in the
    19        course of producing, let us say, a beef patty?
    20        A.  Primarily, the biggest risk is a food-borne illness
         caused by disease-causing bacteria pathogens.
    22
    23   Q.   Which are the principal pathogens you have to look out for?
    24        A.  We look at many bacteria.  There are the recognised
    25        major bacterias that we know are critical and they are more
    26        dangerous, if you will.  Those are salmonella, listeria and
    27        E.coli 0157:H7.  There is numerous disease-causing
    28        bacteria, so we try to focus on the overall issue about
    29        pathogenic food and not a specific pathogen.
    30
    31   Q.   Does the potential hazard from the incidence of these
    32        bacteria vary according to the species of animal that is
    33        being used?
    34        A.  It could vary by its species, although you can make
    35        some generalisations.  It varies according to zones.
    36
    37   Q.   Sorry, I did not hear that.
    38        A.  To zones, according to the environment, wet
    39        environment, cold environment, warm environment, the
    40        conditions in which the animals are raised.  It has many,
         many variables.
    42
    43   Q.   Take if we can just for the moment beef?
    44        A.  Yes.
    45
    46   Q.   I come on to pigs and chickens separately in a moment, but
    47        suppose we start out at the farm.  In America I think
    48        cattle sometimes go from ranch or the farm to what is
    49        called a feed lot; is that right?
    50        A.  That is correct. 
    51 
    52   Q.   We will come back to that later on.  Then it will go from 
    53        the feed lot to the slaughterhouse, yes?
    54        A.  Yes, that is correct.
    55
    56   Q.   From there, unless the processor own a slaughterhouse as
    57        part of his operation, it will go to the meat processing
    58        plant?
    59        A.  That is correct.
    60