Tyson Increases Avian Flu Testing
by May 22, 2006 12:00 am 63 views
Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale said on May 9 that it has increased the number of weekly tests it does for avian flu since last year from about 3,000 to 15,000.
The world’s largest poultry processor is trying to ally bird flu fears that have caused consumers around the world to cut back on consumption of chicken.
The H5N1 strain of avian flu has spread through Asia, Africa and Europe killing 114 people, but it has not been detected in North America.
“H5N1 is an animal health issue, not a flu pandemic,” John Lea, senior group vice president and chief development officer for Tyson Foods, told reporters at the company’s testing lab on May 9. “If H5N1 is found in the U.S., it will be detected and eradicated and it will not became a major health issue.”
The bird flu and mad cow disease have apparently caused consumers worldwide to cut back on consumption of meats.
Tyson blamed an oversupply of meat and high energy costs for its poor performance in the second quarter of this year. The company had a net loss of $127 million as sales dipped 1.7 percent to $6.25 billion for the quarter ended April 1.
But pork, not chicken, accounted for the majority of that decline, dropping by 12 percent because of oversupply, according to Tyson’s second-quarter filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Lea told reporters that eating infected birds is safe if they are cooked properly, to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lea said all birds are tested before they leave the farm and enter production. Under that scenario, if disease were detected, the birds would never enter the food supply, the company said.
About 3,000 of 15,000 weekly tests Tyson does for avian flu are conducted at the company’s laboratory in Springdale. The rest are done at a lab in Wilkesboro, N.C. Eleven birds from each flock are tested. Flocks range from 4,000 birds to “a much greater multiple of that number,” Lea said.
In addition to vertical integration of poultry farms, “all-in/all-out farming” helps to minimize risks. All the birds that come in for growing enter the farm at the same time and are shipped to processing plants at the same time. There’s a two-week downtime period before more birds are brought onto the chicken farms.