Photo: REUTERS
Photo: REUTERS

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THE US embassy has rejected suggestions that health safety standards in the US are something South Africans need to worry about when they begin to eat pork, chicken and beef imported from that country.

The South African Poultry Association has raised concerns about the level of salmonella in US poultry, and what it believes is the lack of adequate monitoring and testing at domestic ports of entry to halt the entry of infected meat.

This testing will be undertaken in terms of an agreement reached between US and South African veterinarians earlier this month. This opened the way for the annual importation of 65,000 tonnes of US bone-in chicken portions, free of anti-dumping duties.

US embassy spokeswoman Cynthia Harvey insisted on Tuesday that the US had "the most extensive domestic health monitoring and food safety inspection system in the world, thanks to which our firms have low levels of salmonella".

A study by The Economist Intelligence Unit on the quality and safety of food by country rated the US third in the world for food quality and safety last year, and gave it a score of 98.8% for food safety.

Ms Harvey said 138 countries accepted imports of US poultry.

"There have been no reported cases of avian influenza transmitted through poultry exported from the US.

"The US uses the same health precautions on domestic poultry as for exports, including monitoring and testing for salmonella.

"South Africans will soon be able to buy the same high-quality and safe poultry products enjoyed by US consumers and our export partners around the world."

She noted that all forms of salmonella should be treated in the same way — by correct cooking.

In terms of the agreement signed by the US and SA, a regional approach will be adopted to the outbreak of avian flu, such as in Indiana, where flocks of poultry have become infected.

Poultry producers in states not affected by the disease will still be able to continue with their exports.