The world’s largest meat company, JBS, entwined in a corruption scandal in its home country of Brazil, hired as its global head of food security Al Almanza, who just retired as head of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Organization for Competitive Markets, which focuses on agricultural antitrust issues, called the hiring “the latest of the scandalous job swapping between government and the meat industry.”
OCM executive director Joe Maxwell said the inspector general ought to investigate USDA “and its revolving door and golden parachutes with the meat industry, and determine whether the government’s post-employment revolving door policies are adequate for the protection of the people of the United States.” The scandal in Brazil includes allegations of bribery to meat inspectors to approve shipment of bad meat. The USDA stepped up its inspection of “fresh” meat from Brazil after the scandal became public and in June suspended the imports.
The OCM said Almanza’s move to JBS raised unsettling questions: Until recently, Almanza was in charge of enforcing the U.S. meat safety laws that his new employer was obliged to follow. How much influence does JBS have over USDA? asked OCM.
JBS is a leading beef and poultry processor in the United States, reports Harvest Public Media. Its U.S. subsidiary, JBS USA, is selling its cattle-feeding business to help pay a massive fine in Brazil. None of its processing plants are for sale. “Any changes JBS makes to how it does business will ripple through the global food system. Many American ranchers sell their cattle to feedlots or slaughterhouses owned and operated JBS USA,” says Harvest Media.