On May 7, 2012, FSIS announced that its traceback policy was about to change. Previously, in the event of a positive E. coli O157:H7 regulatory finding in finished ground beef, or in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak linked to ground beef, FSIS rarely would attempt to demine the original source of the contamination.
A clean plant by definition has all visible soil removed. Typically cleaning will remove 99 percent of the bacteria, but sanitation is necessary to remove that last 1 percent.
With the shift toward highly automated, continuous processing, it’s critical to remember that food-grade lubricants, greases and other mechanical fluids play a key role in a plant’s overall hygiene strategy.
On June 4, six non-O157 STECs (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145) officially became per se adulterants in various raw beef products. On that date, FSIS began analyzing raw beef manufacturing trimmings for these six.
Tom Egan, vice president, Industry Services/Membership, for PMMI, adds his thoughts on how FSMA will impact meat processers and what equipment suppliers are doing to present more sanitary design options.
Metal detection and X-ray inspection systems continue evolving to keep meat and poultry products free of debris, but are still prone to false alarms and production delays.
A reliable rapid-detection system has been a desire of all sectors of the food industry for decades. As sound science has developed over the years, technology companies have found new solutions to meet the demands to test for various pathogens, while obtaining quicker results.
If a meat processor were to spend $16 million a year on vaccines for its cattle to prevent bacterial contamination, but a recall still takes place due to contamination further down the line, is the earlier pre-harvest investment worth it?
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