November 7, 2003 - With the archery season underway and the firearm season starting soon, Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Dan Wyant today reminded the state’s hunters and retail food establishments who may be processing venison to follow the state’s sanitation requirements and proper food safety and handling guidelines. MDA revised its guidelines last year to include precautions for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal brain and nervous system disease that affects deer and elk.

Wyant noted that the state has long had requirements and guidelines in place for Michigan retail food establishments that may custom process hunter-taken venison, and that CWD has not been found in Michigan to date. Additionally, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization have indicated there is no evidence to date that CWD can be transmitted to humans, livestock or other animals, it is prudent to have additional safeguards as an extra precaution.

"As we enter into the state’s prime deer harvesting season, it’s important that venison processors are following common-sense safe handling and processing measures to minimize their risk of foodborne illnesses as well as exposure to animal health issues like CWD," Wyant said.

Key custom venison processing provisions for MDA-licensed and -inspected facilities include:

General storage and processing

• Processors must inspect all carcasses prior to accepting them. They must be free of signs of illness and any visible decomposition or contamination, and identified with appropriate tags.
• Carcasses should be securely stored at 41 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or less and physically separated from other food.
• Carcass handling and processing should be conducted using "first in, first out" rotation.
• Rubber or disposable gloves in good repair must be worn.
• Processing of hunter-owned deer must take place after all commercial food handling has ceased. There must be no way to cross contaminate other food.
• All processing and handling equipment, food contact surfaces, floors and garments must be washed and sanitized immediately after processing. Processing of commercial foods cannot take place until these activities are done.
• Venison products must be clearly marked, identified with name of owner, stamped "Not for Sale," and segregated from commercial meat and foods.

CWD-specific precautions

• Deer taken from Wisconsin or other CWD-positive areas must be processed separately after all other deer have been processed.
• Minimize handling and cutting of brain, spinal tissues, and lymph nodes.
• Bone-out meat from deer, removing fat and connective tissue.
• Heads, legs, and other body parts, unless returned to hunter, must be properly disposed in a licensed incinerator or buried in a licensed landfill.

A brochure detailing a complete list of Michigan’s venison processing sanitation requirements and guidelines can be obtained by clicking here.

Hunters interested in more information specific to deer handling or field dressing should contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) at 517/373-9358 or visit www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Wyant also reminded those who may not be required to be licensed or inspected by the state, but are processing and preparing venison at private sites across the state, about the common sense, but critical food safety steps to take, including:

• Washing hands, utensils, and food contact surfaces with hot, soapy water often, and especially before and after handling meat.
• Holding meat at or below 40 degrees F at all times. If not planning to consume or process meat within three to five days, freezing it. Thaw frozen meat only in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
• Using a food thermometer in cooking meat as it is the only way to tell if the food has reached a temperature sufficient to destroy the harmful organisms that can cause foodborne illness. For venison, both ground and fresh, this temperature is 165 degrees F.

Additional venison food safety tips can be obtained by contacting your local Michigan State University Extension office, visiting the MSUE website, or by calling MDA toll-free at 800/292-3939, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800/535-4555 or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Information Line at 888/SAFE-FOOD.

A detailed summary of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force report, or Michigan's CWD Surveillance and Response Plan, jointly developed by MDA and DNR, is also available online.