IN BRIEF : Ham Rule Deadline Extended, Again

Once again the Agriculture Department is going to let processors keep on making old-fashioned country hams until paper work on a new food safety requirement is completed.

The deadline for ham producers to comply with new federal regulations was supposed to be Dec. 31. But then the previous deadline was supposed to be last Dec. 31. And the one before that was Dec. 31, 1986. There also was one on Aug. 6, 1985.

Now, the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said today, the new deadline will be Dec. 31, 1989--or whenever the agency finally approves the new rules, spokeswoman Irene Goins said.

The lengthy rule-making procedure involves those hams often seen on grocery shelves in cloth bags, or hanging from rafters in country stores. They must be scrubbed to remove mold and then soaked or boiled a couple of times to reduce the salt content.