some whole fish) and test them for bac- 

 teriological problems. 



"We're also checked for cleanliness, 

 sanitary practices and the physical con- 

 dition of our plant, right down to the 

 covers on our lightbulbs," he says. 



Although current inspections are not 

 as time-consuming or as thorough as 

 those that would be mandated by a feder- 

 ally imposed HACCP system, Johnson 

 believes they are sufficient. 



"We don't need inspectors who come 

 into our plant on a daily basis like they 

 do in beef or poultry plants," he says. 

 "Visual inspection of our product just 

 won't work in a seafood market. It would 

 be better for them to just come around 

 now and then." 



Johnson says he isn't convinced that 

 seafood processors should be so closely 

 scrutinized anyway. 



"I'm not convinced that we need it," 

 he says. "The push for HACCP is coming 

 from consumer advocates and from huge 

 seafood processors who stand to gain 

 more business if the image of seafood is 

 made more positive." 



The media has not helped, he says. 



"The consumer is wary of seafood be- 

 cause the industry hasn't come out 

 against the biased accounts about seafood 

 we see in the media. We're like ostriches 

 with our heads in the sand. We haven't 

 done much about it, hoping it'll go away." 



Case in point: the red tide scare of two 

 years ago. 



"The red tide only affected a small 

 area of our coast and only a very small 

 amount of seafood," he says. "But dur- 

 ing that time, you couldn't give North 

 Carolina seafood away. The media blew 

 the whole thing out of proportion." 



More positive media reports could be 

 one outgrowth of the proposed HACCP 

 inspections, says North Carolina State 

 University food scientist Donn Ward, 

 head of a national committee charged 

 with developing courses and materials 

 for training seafood processors in the 

 HACCP method. 



"The tragedy is that people think 

 seafood plants are not inspected at all," 

 Ward says. "It's totally erroneous for 

 them to assume that." 



Ward says all seafood processing plants 

 are regularly inspected by state and federal 



agencies. HACCP will bring changes 

 only in the method of inspection. 



The more complicated techniques of 

 HACCP inspections will create a need for 

 educating seafood processors. The federal 

 government will strongly urge that proces- 

 sors undergo HACCP training, although 

 it won't be mandatory. 



The training will include a two- or 

 three-day educational program written 

 on a high-school level. There will be a 

 final exam and participants will be ex- 

 pected to maintain a certain level of 

 competence. 



Those who pass the exam will be given 

 a certificate of completion by the Na- 

 tional Fisheries Institute, sponsors of the 

 training program. 



"Mere attendance in this program will 

 not mean a thorough understanding of 

 HACCP," Ward says. "It will require 

 some study and work. For some, this 

 type of training will be absolutely essen- 

 tial just to help them understand the in- 

 spection program." 



Ward predicts mixed reactions from 

 seafood processors, some of whom will 

 not accept the government's intervention 

 in their businesses. 



Jimmy Johnson says his company will 

 welcome the new methods and the train- 

 ing. But he still feels HACCP will be 

 more of a hardship than a help for small 

 and family-owned processing plants. 



"Our paperwork will probably triple 

 and that will require more man hours, 

 which will cost more," he says. 



Some processors, especially those that 

 have remained very small or are working 

 in outdated buildings with antiquated 

 equipment, may be forced out of business 

 by the new inspection regulations. 



"It's going to be a necessary evil, like 

 a steam roller that you can't stop,' ' 

 Johnson says. "It will drive up the cost 

 of operating and will narrow even more 

 an already extremely narrow profit 

 margin." 



Johnson says his company will "easily 

 comply" with HACCP inspections. And 

 he expects the government to force 

 foreign processors to comply under the 

 same guidelines as American companies. 



If HACCP inspections come, as they 

 surely will, Johnson realizes that he and 

 other small North Carolina seafood 

 processors will have to adhere or go out 

 of business. 



"It's coming." he says. "We'll have to 

 grin and bear it, and just hope for the 

 best." 



