Food Protection Trends - July 2009 - 446

IAFP Rapid Response Symposium – Salmonella in Peanut Products – Understanding the Risk and Controlling the Process March 26, 2009 by Dr. Mickey E. Parish University of Maryland College Park, Maryland related to Salmonella. This would be followed by education and outreach programs to the grower community with information on the application of food safety through continuous improvement programs. Dr. Cowart continued her talk with a discussion of the role that shellers and contract warehouses play in the safety of peanuts. Since no kill step is provided in this process, and since aflatoxin is a known concern, shellers and warehouses use a wellintegrated system of supplier controls, aflatoxin specifications and management, grading and regrading, packaging specifications, dry cleaning/sanitation, pest control, GMPs/HACCP, and mock recalls to ensure product quality and safety from aflatoxin. During audience questions and comments, it was noted that there are numerous issues related to pathogen prevalence, traceability, peanut tempering, integration of pathogen and aflatoxin reduction activities, and certification that may require industry attention. Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, Lt. Commander in the US Public Health Service is assigned to the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne and Enteric Diseases at CDC. She provided an epidemiological timeline of the outbreak in a talk titled, “Outbreak of Salmonella Serotype Typhimurium Infections Associated with Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter-containing Products – United States, 2008–2009.” This presentation emphasized the front-line role of local and state health departments in identifying and tracking disease outbreaks in coordination with federal agencies such as CDC, FDA and USDA. After providing an overview of salmonellosis outbreaks in the US, Dr. Behravesh discussed the cycle of disease control and prevention involving surveillance, epidemiological investigations, applied research and implementation of prevention measures. This was followed by a detailed timeline and activities related to the outbreak beginning with November 10, 2008 when the first multistate cluster was identified by PulseNet. Issues of interest during this timeframe include the merger of two separate clusters into one investigation in early December, identification of King Nut brand peanut butter as the food of interest from epidemiological and laboratory evaluations by the Minnesota Department of Health, the January 10 recall issued by PCA, January 16 isolation of Salmonella from unopened container of peanut butter by the Connecticut Department of Health, isolation of Salmonella from a tanker truck that carried peanut paste, and the ultimate large number of recalled products that totaled 3,858 as of March 24, 2009. Dr. Behravesh concluded her presentation with statements highlighting the complexities of ingredient-driven outbreaks, and the need for enhancements of capacities at the local, state and federal levels to yield a more rapid response and limit the number of illnesses associated with an outbreak. She further stated that illnesses from the PCA outbreak could continue to occur as people eat peanut butter-containing products that have slipped past the recalls. n March 26, 2009, IAFP held a day-long Rapid Response Symposium titled, “Salmonella in Peanut Products – Understanding the Risk and Controlling the Process” in Arlington, Virginia. The symposium was co-sponsored by the American Peanut Council, bioMérieux, Cargill, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Mars Snackfood US and the IAFP Foundation, and presented a variety of viewpoints from industry, government and academia on issues related to the recent peanut product salmonellosis outbreak and subsequent recall by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). IAFP Executive Director David Tharp and President Stan Bailey began the symposium with a welcome and introductory comments, respectively. Patrick Archer, President of the American Peanut Council, (APC) began the formal talks with a “View from the Peanut Industry.” This presentation discussed the overall industry response including plans for future steps to revise GMPs and GAPs, comprehensive training and industry outreach. Mr. Archer addressed the industry’s shock at the allegation that PCA had knowingly released contaminated product for shipment, and the APC member commitment to food safety and industry certification based on global standards. He indicated that a kill step study has been completed with the data presented to APC members and the FDA. The study will be submitted for peer review. The next speaker, Dr. Darlene Cowart, is President of JLA USA and former QA manager for Cargill Peanut Products where she assisted in addressing food safety concerns. Dr. Cowart gave an overview of safety programs utilized in peanut production from grower to sheller. Good Agricultural Practices with the greatest impact on food safety include: Land selection/crop rotation, soil fertility, crop protection, irrigation and harvest. Next steps for grower groups involve a review and updating of GAPs and GMPs with incorporation of a thorough hazard analysis and characterization to include issues O 446 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | JULY 2009

Food Protection Trends - July 2009

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