Public interest in food inspection spikes whenever illness or death highlights the danger of bacterial contamination. In 2007, major recalls affected ground beef, frozen chicken, and turkey potpies. E. coli and salmonella were identified as culprits. Now, a new flap over inspection protocols is bubbling in Washington.

The Agriculture Dept. wants to reduce the number of federal inspectors in poultry slaughterhouses, moving to a "risk-based" inspection system. The new method aims to shift the inspection focus toward microbial testing from the physical examination of actual chicken carcasses. The agency maintains the effort will modernize the process, helping to allocate resources closer to the threats of food-borne contaminants.

Food safety groups and workers' unions allege such moves-which could later transfer to beef inspections-could jeopardize public safety and endanger meat processors. The changes would represent a fundamental shift in how meat is inspected in the U.S., and critics say the risks to consumers could be grave. "The change would produce chaos in the poultry inspection system," says Felicia Nestor, senior policy analyst for Food & Water Watch, an advocacy group based in Washington. "The nation's plant inspectors will have to watch diseased, infected birds going out to the public."

The dispute over the proposed changes-called the "Public Health Based Slaughter Inspection System"-is the subject of a two-day meeting in Arlington, Va., that concludes Feb. 6. Food safety groups, the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, and the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents federal inspectors, are voicing their concerns about the effects of the proposals.

Representatives from the National Turkey Federation and companies including Pennsylvania-based Keystone Foods are also submitting opinions on the issue, which comes at a time when Americans' appetite for chicken is near an all-time high. Consumption stands at about 87 pounds per person each year, according to the National Chicken Council, a trade association for the chicken industry. If regulators give their approval, the new methods could take effect as early as the fall.

Recalls Fuel Proposed Shift

Currently, the USDA requires that federal inspectors visually examine each bird carcass at the slaughterhouse before the carcass is sent for further processing. This system requires inspectors to examine all sides of the bird as well as its inner cavity, identifying diseases, sores, and contaminants such as fecal matter. The USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service's proposed change would eliminate that requirement and instead channel more resources into microbial testing while the carcass is being processed.

The proposed changes follow the recall of nearly 22 million lb. of ground beef by Topps Meat in September, 2007, for possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination, which sparked widespread concern about consumer safety and led to Topps' decision to shut down the next month. In October, 2002, Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) recalled more than 27 million lb. of poultry products believed to be tainted by listeria. Hudson Foods recalled 25 million lb. of frozen beef patties in August, 1997, fearing E. coli contamination. The next year, it was acquired by a subsidiary of meat processor Tyson Foods (TSN).

The proposed plan, which is currently being tested at a handful of plants, would be implemented first for young chickens in the poultry industry and could potentially be applied to the entire U.S. meat industry. More than 8 million young chickens are slaughtered annually in the U.S., according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Potential Impact of Fewer Inspectors

A Jan. 25 report from the USDA, "Poultry Slaughter Technical Report," argues that a more effective system would reallocate inspection resources from visual examinations at slaughterhouses to microbial testing at the processing level. The new system "will likely focus on establishments and points within the poultry slaughter process at which microbial contamination…is likely to occur," according to the report.

The USDA's office of Food Safety & Inspection Service declined to say how many food inspector jobs would be cut if the Public Health Based Slaughter Inspection System were put into effect. When the USDA originally proposed the changes, it estimated annual cost savings of $14 million. A USDA representative was unavailable for comment Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, according to USDA spokeswoman Amanda Eamich.

Critics say reducing the number of federal inspectors at slaughterhouses-and allowing companies to employ their own inspectors-would weaken food safety standards. "A company employee could be pressured to skip and destroy birds that visibly look sick as opposed to testing them," says Jackie Nowell, a spokeswoman for UFCW, which represents 170,000 meat and poultry processing workers. Removing federal inspectors from slaughterhouses would also remove maximum line-speed regulations on slaughterhouses. Currently, poultry slaughterhouses process up to 30 birds per minute, but the new regulations could allow them to process up to 200 birds per minute, Nestor says.

Performance Issues

Nowell says change would put consumers at risk and endanger workers: "Higher line speeds would increase many of the injuries workers experience, especially musculoskeletal disorders." During the first day of the public meeting on the Public Health Based Slaughter Inspection System, some industry representatives said the plan needs to be tested further before it is rolled out nationwide.

The poultry industry, on the whole, supports changing the current system. "The government is trying to improve overall performance, and to lessen the number of federal inspectors [in slaughterhouses]," says Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council. "You can have all the federal employees you want looking at a chicken, but they won't be able to see microbiological material."

Herbst is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in New York .