Several consumer groups met last week with the staff of the White House Office of Management and Budget and voiced their opposition to the Agriculture Department proposal to transfer some poultry inspection functions from government inspectors to companies.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has said that the proposal would allow USDA personnel to perform more important functions, but the consumer groups say it will reduce food safety.

USDA and OMB have not released a revised version of the rule.

“If USDA has substantially revised the proposed rule, then make its contents public now and have a new comment period,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.

“This is too important an issue to consumers to let USDA have the final say in how poultry is inspected especially with all of the controversy that the original reckless proposal has generated.”

Present at the meeting last Tuesday:

• Food & Water Watch
• Consumer Federation of America
• Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
• National Consumers League
• American Federation of Government Employees
• Government Accountability Project