Combating Foreign Objects
Continued from page 24
Figure 4: Photos collected at harvest facilities of animal-husbandry related foreign objects. From left to right: broken needle within fat layer, metal shot within the fat and muscle at the carcass level, metal shot within the subprimal visible when the product was cut into, metal shot in the femur bone exposed at fabrication, RDD lodged in the lungs.
foreign object contamination but also increases animal stress and the potential for injury. Addressing these upstream risks reinforces the importance of shared accountability between producers and processors in safeguarding the industry’ s future and preserving trust within the food supply.
“ The beef industry has made a concerted effort in the past to start educating people on issues and making them aware of taking a step further on how to fix it,” said Dr. Trey Patterson, president / CEO of Padlock Ranch Company.“ It is now time to make these efforts with foreign object reduction a priority.” 6
Research coordinated by the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.
References:
1. Partners, S. C. The State of Food Safety in Restaurant & Retail. https:// discover. stampedeculinarypartners. com / food-safety-report /( 2025).
2. FSIS. Product Contamination. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. http:// www. fsis. usda. gov / taxonomy / term / 16( 2025).
3. BQA. 2022 National Beef Quality Audit- Executive Summary. https:// www. bqa. org / Media / BQA / Docs / nbqa-executive-summary- 2022-updated _ v1-compressed. pdf( 2023).
4. Smith, C. L. et al. National Beef Quality Audit-2022 Phase 1: faceto-face and digital interviews. Transl Anim Sci 8, txae034( 2024).
5. Boykin, C. A. et al. National Beef Quality Audit – 2016: In-plant survey of carcass characteristics related to quality, quantity, and value of fed steers and heifers. J Anim Sci 95, 2993( 2017).
6. NCBA. Hidden Hazards- Protecting Consumer Experience. https:// www. youtube. com / watch? v = b7B1A5jwvPE & list = PLsDMBXSb2jY cUGaCNrQ09f0JxDJXJQu24 & index = 2( 2025).
7. Beef Industry Food Safety Council. Foreign Object Originating in Pre-Harvest Environment Survey.( 2025).
8. BQA. Beef Quality Assurance National Manual. https:// www. bqa. org / resources / manuals( 2024).
9. United States Meat Export Federation. Foreign Material Impacts on International Markets.( 2025).
26 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN DIRECTIONS 2025