What is the government doing to protect the U.S. food supply from avian influenza?
The likelihood of highly pathogenic avian influenza infected poultry entering the U.S. food supply is extremely low due to import restrictions, extensive avian influenza testing programs, and federal inspection programs. The U.S. prohibits importing of poultry and poultry products from regions where H5N1 has been detected in commercial or traditionally raised poultry, and has increased monitoring for illegally smuggled poultry and poultry products. All live birds, including pet birds and live poultry, imported from approved countries (except Canada) are quarantined and tested. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works with states and the poultry industry to monitor and test birds at commercial poultry farms and live bird markets. USDA food safety inspectors also monitor federally inspected poultry slaughter and processing facilities.
David Goldman, MD, MPH Office of Public Health Science USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service The Food, Safety and Inspection Service has public health veterinarians and inspection program personnel who are stationed at each of the slaughter & processing facilities on a daily basis, on a continual basis, to ensure that the meat, poultry and egg products are safe, that they’re wholesome, and that they are accurately labeled. There are other things that the department is engaged in with its partners and other federal agencies and in state agencies. Among those are, first of all, we do not allow any country that has had a detection of high path avian influenza to export product to the U.S. So no product from any other country, any poultry products from any of the countries in which high path avian influenza has been detected, or allowed to come into the U.S. Similarly we collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security’s customs and border protection agency to prevent smuggled poultry
