Food Protection Trends - December 2008 - 918

Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, both of which are found in the intestinal tracts of infected animals, are pathogens of concern for processors that produce raw ground meat and poultry products. If not eliminated during slaughter operations, these pathogens can be present on raw meat and poultry entering the grinder. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in ground beef decreased from a baseline value of 7.5% in 1996 to 2.0% in 2006 (21), yet outbreaks of human Salmonella infections associated with ground beef continue to occur (6). The prevalence of Salmonella in ground turkey also has decreased, from a baseline value of 49.9% in 1996 to 20.3% in 2006 (21). However, Salmonella levels have remained the same in ground chicken, with a prevalence of about 45% (21). The overall incidence of foodborne illness from Salmonella has risen to 14.81 cases per 100,000 in 2006, from a baseline value of 13.7 cases per 100,000 in 1997 (7). The prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef decreased from 0.80% in 2001 to 0.18% in 2004, and then remained stable until 2006. However, the prevalence increased in 2007 to 0.23% (24). Similarly, the number of beef recalls associated with E. coli O157:H7 increased from 8 in 2006 to 20 in 2007 (23). The pathogen L. monocytogenes is of particular concern to meat and poultry processors because it can survive and grow in refrigerated, packaged, ready-to-eat (RTE) products as well as in vacuumpackaged products and because it resists high levels of salt, nitrite and acid as well as freezing and drying (10). Although the incidence of foodborne illness from L. monocytogenes decreased from 0.50 cases per 100,000 in 1997 to 0.31 cases in 2006, this is still higher than the Healthy People 2010 goal of 0.25 cases per 100,000 (7). Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA, FSIS) is charged with the responsibility of protecting and regulating the safety of the nation’s meat and poultry supply. In 1999, FSIS set performance standards for cooked beef, roast beef, and cooked corned beef products; fully and partially cooked meat patties; and certain fully and partially cooked poultry products (9 CFR 301, 317, 318, 320, and 381). In 2003, FSIS passed an interim final rule (9 CFR 430) requiring establishments that produce certain ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products to control for L. monocytogenes. Additionally, all plants producing raw ground beef, chicken, and turkey are subject to Salmonella testing by inspection personnel, and plants producing ground beef are subject to testing for E. coli O157:H7 (18, 20). Processing plants may have implemented pathogencontrol practices and other food safety practices in response to these requirements as well as to the 1996 Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point rule (PR:HACCP), and other FSIS regulations. FSIS contracted with RTI International to conduct a national survey of meat and poultry processing plants (i.e., plants without slaughter operations) to collect uniform information on practices and technologies used to control biological, chemical, and physical hazards and to promote food safety (3). This survey follows earlier surveys of meat slaughter plants (5), poultry slaughter plants (4), and egg packing and processing plants (25). Survey results are aggregated by HACCP size and by the type of product produced. FSIS can use these aggregated results to guide regulatory policy making, to conduct analyses of food safety risk management practices that might contribute to risk-based inspection initiatives, and to conduct required economic analyses of proposed regulations. Additionally, the survey findings can be used to establish baseline measures of current practices and technologies for regulated establishments. for federally inspected and state-inspected plants. The sampling frame included meat and poultry processing plants that produce RTE products, not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) products, or products that are to be processed further (such as raw ground product). Plants that conduct slaughter activities may also conduct processing activities, but because those plants were surveyed previously (4, 5), they were excluded from the sampling frame. Plants that operate for objectives that are not strictly commercial (e.g., nonprofit, prison, education, and government facilities) and plants located in a US territory (because of the potential for language barriers to completing the survey) were also excluded. The sample design specified a sample size that was expected to yield ± 5 percent or better for estimates of all proportions. The sample was stratified by inspection status (federal versus state) and HACCP size (large plants have 500 or more employees, small plants have 10 or more employees but fewer than 500, and very small plants have fewer than 10 employees or less than $2.5 million in annual sales). For federally inspected plants, we selected a systematic sample of very small and small plants, and we took a census of large plants because of the relatively small number of these plants. For state-inspected plants, none of which were classified as large, we selected a systematic sample of very small plants and took a census of small plants. Systematic sampling ensures that the selected sample represents the population by forcing the sample to include plants with varying characteristics, such as geographic location and type of species. Questionnaire development We designed the survey instrument as a paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire asked about use of food safety technologies and practices, frequency of sanitation practices, methods and frequency of microbiological testing, employee food safety training, and plant characteristics. To test the survey instrument, we used a structured, standardized instrument review methodology. This approach evaluated the survey questions in terms of the tasks required of the respondents to understand and respond to the questions METHODS The sampling methods, questionnaire development, survey administration, and analysis procedures are described below. Sampling methods An FSIS database of active meat, poultry, and egg products establishments was used to develop the sampling frames 918 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | DECEMBER 2008

Food Protection Trends - December 2008

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