Agriculture: National Pork Producers Council

Agriculture: National Pork Producers Council

There are a number of councils that are responsible for the food that the public consumes. It is important to look at the National Pork Producers Council and determine its history, responsibilities, current issues it is addressing and how it affects legislation.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was established to "conduct public policy outreach on behalf of its 44 affiliated state association member - enhancing opportunities for the success of U.S. pork producers and other industry stakeholders by establishing the U.S. pork industry as a consistent and responsible supplier of high quality pork to the domestic and world market (www.nppc.org/)."

Food Safety Responsibilities

The NCCP stresses that "food safety is the pork industry's number one priority and federal and state meat inspection systems are the key part of ensuring safe food.

The U.S. pork industry is among the most regulated industries in the nation (www.nppc.org/)." The NPPC has implemented a program which addresses "pork quality issues through education and communication of factors affecting pork quality and ways to deal with these factors throughout the pork chain (unknown, 1999)."

The Food Safety Group (FSG) "promotes research that focuses on the microbial ecology of foods, detection methods, and the control of foodborne pathogens to prevent foodborne disease (www.foodscience.psu.edu/Research/fdsafety.html)." The NPPC has provided funding to the FSG to research "the effects of chilling methods for bacterial recovery and reducing bacteria on pork carcasses, optimization of electrolyzed oxidizing water and comparison with other microbial compounds to reduce pathogens on fresh or further processed pork products, effects of commercial chilling methods for reducing bacteria on pork carcasses and microbial profile of overhead surfaces and condensate in pork processing plants (www.foodscience.psu.edu/Research/fdsafety.html)."

Affecting Legislation

The NPPC strives to help its members to remain profitable while adapting to the changes in the industry. The NPPC is "meeting those challenges through a series of strategic programs designed to address issues affecting pork from production to consumer demand. Through these efforts, NPPC intends to strive for the passage and implementation of laws and regulations that are conducive to the production and sale of pork in both domestic and international markets (www.nppc.org/)."

In February, 2004, pork producers and industry representatives met in Washington, D.C. To "lobby members of Congress on issues related to mandatory animal identification, a workable voluntary country-of-origin labeling program, trade and ways to further increase prices for hogs and products (www.nppc.org/)." Currently, the NPPC is concerned with Canadian Trade and is worried because "Canadian hog subsidies distort the market and cause significant harm to the U.S. pork industry (www.nppc.org/)."