THE SERIES
• Sunday: For more than a century, beef has been a vibrant, though volatile, force in the Kansas economy.
• Monday: Kansas cattlemen are lukewarm to a federal plan to track the history of their animals as a way to protect the beef supply.
• Tuesday: In answer to the threat of terrorist activity, Kansas feedlots beef up their security.
• Wednesday: Kansas packing plants tighten security and increase scrutiny of those they hire, many of whom are immigrants.
• Thursday: Perceived threats to the national food supply have prompted some consumers to look for local providers they know and trust.
• Friday: Millions of dollars are being invested to protect the $6 billion Kansas beef industry from natural or intentional threats.
9-11 led to changes in meat plants
Employees, visitors and animals all have come under closer scrutiny
Dec. 13, 2006
Scott Bershof
The Garden City Telegram
Fences alone can't protect the nation's food supply, including its beef, said Rod Wheeler.
Equally important is awareness.
"We have to start thinking like a terrorist. It is a culture thing. In the food industry, it puts it all in a completely different realm," said Wheeler, a food defense specialist with American Institute of Baking International.
"The myth is, if we build a fence, we'll be better secured," he said. "(But) you don't want to create a false sense of security. It's not the person who hops the fence; it's the person who comes through the front door."
The need for greater security has been a priority at Kansas packing plants since the 9-11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
And the changes they've made include greater scrutiny of employees, more restrictions on visitors, more monitoring of animals and greater control over processes.
Kevin Pentz, senior vice president of operations at the Creekstone Farms packing plant at Arkansas City, said strict regulations are in place restricting visitors. That means an end to most tours.
And both the plant's 800 employees and the cattle they slaughter carry computer chips. For employees, the chips are on identification cards that verify their right of access. For the cattle, the computer chip logs their path to death.
"We track the animal from its arrival to the time where the carcass is processed," Pentz said. The cattle "are never outside. We have an indoor yard and holding pens."
Gary Mickelson, director of media relations for Tyson Fresh Meats in Springdale, Ark., which operates a beef processing plant west of Holcomb, said the company reviewed its security practices after 9-11.
A result, he said, was "closer monitoring of our critical infrastructure and raw materials, as well as a much stricter visitors policy."
He cited security concerns as the reason he wouldn't provide details.
Steve Cohen, a spokesman for the federal Department of Agriculture, said the agency has a security assessment program, but it is entirely voluntary.
"Our experience is that plants do take this seriously," he said.
Cohen said there have been discussions on making the Food Safety and Inspection Service program mandatory, but that would require congressional approval.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service recommendations range from inspecting vehicles as they come and go to restricting access to the plant and safeguarding electronic data.
Skip Seward, vice president of regulatory affairs for the American Meat Institute, said the industry has heightened security since 9-11.
For instance, he said, some beef processing plants allow only trusted employees to perform certain tasks where risks might be greater, such as blending ground beef.
