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Welcome,
Recently I came across a series of articles
in Meat and Poultry Magazine’s
May
2007 Issue on the topic of Food Safety Legislation and Crisis Control.
These are two extremely important issues for all Food Distributors and
Processors especially in the wake of so many recent recalls. This week’s
issue will focus specifically on ways for food processors to keep
foodbourne illnesses at bay while
Issue 118
focused on basic information about the changing food safety laws. Sincerely,
Let us know, click the links to send
your requests to the editor
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July 3, 2007 How Food Processors Can Keep Foodborne Illnesses At Bay
High Pressure Pasteurization – This technology allows processors to pasteurize meat in the package using pressures of up to 87,000 pounds per square inch without the addition of heat to destroy Listeria bacteria. Growth Inhibitors – Another technique involves growth inhibitors such as sodium diacetate, lactate, and citrate. These products are salts of organic acids and are used alone or in combination of one another. Along with the chemical growth inhibitors, some processors are using natural ingredients such as garlic or extracts of vinegar and citrus fruit to inhibit growth, which also facilitates cleaner labels. Ultraviolet-C Lamps - A third technology provides better systems for environmental controls of Listeria. Many meat plants will use Ultraviolet-C lamps (UVC), to help kill the bacteria found present on machines and other equipment. UVC treatment is approved by the USDA and FDA for surface decontamination, does not require irradiation labeling, and will not alter the look or taste of most food products Although processors of sizes are using these technologies, they are especially important for low volume plants. The USDA indicates that more low volume processing plants test positive for Listeria then any others. In fact 42% of plants that were reported positive for Listeria produced less then 100,000 pounds of meat per year. According to Randy Huffman, vice president of scientific affairs at the American Meat Institute, “To control costs, small plants can easily formulate solutions to work as growth inhibitors for Listeria. There are also effective environmental control technologies in the $5000 dollar range. Of course all plants must rely on excellent sanitation to control Listeria in the plant environment. Implementing good sanitation is the best way to eliminate the spread of bacteria. You need to have good sanitation practices in place before any of these technologies will work.” The technology exists to control Listeria, the challenge is applying the right technology to fit your budget. The Cost Of Contamination Is Too High To Ignore!
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Of all foodborne bacteria, it is Listeria that has the highest fatality
rate. What is Listeria? Well Listeria bacteria can be transmitted through
soil and water, but a person can also ingest Listeria by eating certain
foods such as deli meats and cold cuts, soft-ripened cheese, milk,
undercooked chicken, uncooked hot dogs, shellfish, and coleslaw made from
contaminated cabbage. Five days to three weeks after ingestion, Listeria
gains access to all body areas and may involve the central nervous system.
A person infected with Listeria usually has fever, muscle aches, and
gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads
to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, loss of
balance, confusion, and convulsions can occur. (