(1) Veterinary officers conduct sanitary inspections of civilian food-
processing plants that may serve as sources of food for the Armed Forces. Civilian
establishments that have been inspected and found to comply with military sanitary
standards may be approved as sources of supply by the commander of the Health
Services Command or by a major overseas command and be listed in "The Directory."
(This document is published and maintained by the approving authority. Its full title is
"Directory of Sanitarily Approved Food Establishments for Armed Forces
Procurement.") Only those facilities appearing in this directory and facilities approved
by other Federal regulatory agencies such as the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) may be awarded military contracts.
(2) From the time the contract is awarded until the food is consumed, there
is constant inspection of the food by USDA (if in the US) and military inspectors. The
USDA inspectors work in sanitarily approved plants during and after processing to
ensure that the product is wholesome and meets the contract quality requirements. The
food is inspected by military inspectors when It is delivered a t a military installation to
ensure that it has not deteriorated in transit and that there has been no substitution.
Once the food is accepted at a military installation, it becomes Government property.
The Veterinary service only inspects the food, reports its findings, and recommends
disposition to the procurement authority. The military Veterinary Service does not
procure food.
(3) After the Government takes possession, the Veterinary Service
maintains surveillance of the food until it is issued to the using agency. This
surveillance may last from a period of a few days to many months, depending on the
food and where it is to be consumed. Inspections are performed periodically when the
food is in storage, prior to transfer from one location to another and on receipt at the
new location.
b. Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Preventive medicine activities of the Army
Veterinary Service include:
(1)
Preventive medicine aspects of the food inspection program.
(2) The provision of laboratory services for the control of animal diseases
transmissible to man.
(3)
Authorized veterinary care for animals to protect the health of humans
and animals.
(a) Diseases naturally transmitted from animals to man--zoonotic
diseases--are prevented and controlled within the animal populations having contact
with military personnel. Epidemiological surveys, quarantines, vaccination program,
and registration requirements are effective tools that are used to control and limit
zoonotic diseases.
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