An NRC-appointed committee will evaluate the scientific basis of current food safety requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program and prepare a brief consensus report of its findings. In the course of its study, the committee will examine technical and other documents that describe food safety measures required of suppliers of ground beef to the Program. Such measures include food safety requirements in the process of manufacturing ground beef items and the testing of materials (including laboratory accreditation and procedures established by those laboratories for selection, delivery, analysis and reporting of findings of samples) throughout the process, from slaughter to delivery of product to the recipient. The study will also examine how USDA standards, methods, and requirements compare to those used in the large purchasing programs of industry leaders who supply ground beef products directly to the consumer through retail sales or food service operations. The committee will seek input from suppliers, food safety experts, and other entities involved in purchasing ground beef on a large scale.

The committee's report will present the committee's evaluation of the scientific validity of USDA's current technical requirements and methods and a benchmark of USDA processes and methods relative to those in recognized, industry-leader programs. The report will also provide recommendations to USDA on how to perform future periodic evaluations relative to recognized best practices.