Whether you work for a billion-dollar beef slaughter facility, a multimillion-dollar poultry further-processing plant specializing in ready-to-eat meals, a national restaurant chain that serves millions of consumers quickly and efficiently, or any number of other companies located up and down the protein supply chain, food safety is now something that must be closely monitored and prioritized, or the ramifications are harsh. But how far have the meat and poultry industries come in recent years, and how far must the industry go in the battle to keep our food supply safe and sound and keep consumer confidence high? In the following special report, The National Provisioner polled a few of the industry’s top thinkers for their ideas, opinions and experiences on food-safety advancements.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Cross: Chief Operating Officer of Texas A&M Agriculture

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Cross: I would say the most impactful food safety innovation was the refinement and application of molecular typing techniques to foodborne disease investigations. This innovation has allowed tracing of pathogens from illness to specific product to processing facility, providing for a targeted address of the problem rather than a broad treatment of the entire industry. This technology has also been adapted to allow investigations within facilities to determine flow of microorganisms through processing, assisting in the determination of source (like Listeria monocytogenes).

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Cross: The meat and poultry industry has done an outstanding job of implementing effective process control through application of HACCP, and it has invested billions to develop and implement effective pathogen interventions and controls for key pathogens, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Cross: The meat and poultry industry needs to:

• Maintain its focus on food safety. Just because the pathogen numbers are declining, the “war” is far from over. Do not become complacent.

• Be more aggressive in dealing with pre-harvest food safety issues. This will require implementing new technology and making certain the funds are available to develop more effective technology.

• Fortify in-plant HACCP by developing very specific SPC continuous measurement parameters for the operation of each intervention/CCP.

• Develop “infrastructural enablers,” technologies that will allow us to use genetics and bioinformatics, the “new sciences” that are invading medicine and our lives around us. We must work hard to apply this science to food and animal production.

• Enact more effective training of employees in food-safety issues.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Cross: We will always have new pathogens coming up, but they are nearly always a new version of something we already dealt with — although usually poorly. An example is O157:H7. We already knew about Salmonella, but nobody was very concerned about it. The refocus of effort and money on biodefense issues may take our eye off the ball on traditional food-safety issues. Research funding has already been dramatically impacted, and much of the food-safety community has now shifted their efforts to be eligible for funding. The traditional food-safety issues are still important and likely, and we need to be careful not to spend all our time on a low-probability target.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Cross:

• New processing methods based on our growing knowledge of new technology, such as e-beam irradiation and high-pressure treatments.

• New packaging technologies designed to improve food safety and provide the consumer with more information regarding the proper handling of the product through retail marketing.

• Genetic manipulation of bacteria to assist in safety-related issues, from use as marker microorganisms to adaptation as targeted weapons against low numbers of foodborne pathogens.

• Better education technology to assist with making the retail market and consumers more able to deal with unforeseen risks.

• Development of numerous probiotics to kill and control pathogens and improve shelf-life starting in the feedlot and ending in ground products.

• Deeper understanding and application of science on the live and meat-production areas; greater use of statistics and more extensive process control.

• We must shift our thinking from crisis management to prevention; for example, we must attack Johne’s disease (MAP) and MDR Salmonella on the farm, ranch and feedlot before they become meat issues. If we allow these pathogens to become problems in our meat supply, then we lose consumer confidence, increase our liability, and all involved in the system suffer the economic consequences.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Fung: I am a professor of Food Science performing research and teaching in subjects related to applied microbiology, food microbiology and public microbiology. I also direct an international workshop on a Rapid Methods and Automation in Microbiology every summer since 1980.

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Fung: Widespread application of Rapid Methods and Automation in Microbiology technologies by all sectors of the food industry, academia, government and health professionals to directly and indirectly improve the entire field of food safety. It is true that one cannot test away pathogens and contaminants in foods, BUT by detecting the pathogens and contaminants quickly and efficiently, food professionals can quickly determine the source of the problem and make corrective actions. Government agencies and health professionals can use these tools to monitor the occurrence of the contamination in a national and international scale to locate the source of the problem. A good case in point is the PulseNet system of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where many centers around the country can share information instantaneously to locate outbreaks such as E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef, etc. These methods greatly help epidemiologists to perform efficiently.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Fung: The meat and poultry industries have greatly improved in their monitoring of foodborne pathogens by effective HACCP practices, education of workers and indeed in improvement in microbial testings by rapid methods.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Fung: Well, improvement of sanitation and safety procedures from farm to table on all the products using all available technologies such as steam pasteurization, irradiation, clean-room technology, high-pressure technology, effective rinsing compounds, ozone, etc.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Fung: I still believe it is the human beings themselves who control their own destiny in food safety. New microbes will emerge and diseases will occur and epidemics and pandemics will develop. So I think we as a society must all work together on all fronts at all times. We can be our greatest threat, through things such as bioterrorism, accidents, carelessness, indifference, lack of proper education, etc.

Q:  With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Fung: I think irradiation is a great technology, but it is still expensive and needs consumer support confidence. A lot of “non-thermal” technologies for destruction of pathogens are being tested and should be of value in the near future. From the standpoint of microbial detection technologies, there are a lot of nanotechnologies being tested to detect very low numbers of pathogens in a very short time. It is hard to summarize all the possibilities, but I am very optimistic that soon we can detect pathogens in less than two hours by a combination of innovative ideas and sophisticated concentration technology, immunological, genetic, molecular, electronic, biochemical and chemical methods. The search for perfection has no ending.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Hodges: The American Meat Institute Foundation is a non-profit research, education and information foundation established by the American Meat Institute to study ways the meat and poultry industry can produce better, safer products and operate more efficiently. The AMI Foundation manages a multimillion-dollar, multi-year Food Safety Initiative with the goal of reducing Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, Escherichia coli O157:H7 in fresh beef products, and Salmonella in both fresh and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Hodges: In the critical arena of food safety, it’s really impossible to single out one single technology or advancement that has been made in the marketplace. In most cases, it takes multiple interventions to assure that food is as safe as possible. My “short list” however, would include the industry decision to share best practices on food safety, carcass thermal pasteurization, introduction of food additives such as lactate and diacetate to processed meats, post-cooking pasteurization, better use of microbial testing data and industry implementation of HACCP programs.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Hodges: The industry has devoted extensive resources to reducing the prevalence of pathogens on meat and poultry products. Across the board, that has resulted in foodborne illness rates in the U.S. declining significantly according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The estimated incidence of illnesses over the past decade shows Listeriosis decreased 32 percent, Campylobacter infections decreased 30 percent, E. coli O157:H7 illnesses decreased 29 percent and Salmonellosis decreased 9 percent. The incidence of pathogens found today on meat and poultry products are at historically low levels.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Hodges: Food safety is, and will remain, the Foundation’s top priority. Since 1999, when the Foundation’s Food Safety Initiative began, AMIF has funded food-safety programs totaling more than $5.6 million. We need to continue to build on our progress by funding research to discover new innovations that will improve overall food safety. We also must continue our efforts to practically apply those research findings and share best practices on a non-competitive basis to foster continual improvement in the industry.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Hodges: Antimicrobial resistance is emerging as one of the biggest challenges facing the industry today. Many important bacterial infections in the U.S. and throughout the world are becoming resistant to traditional therapies. Veterinary drugs will continue to be a critical component of food animal production and contribute to the exceptionally high level of health we find in food animals today. They also provide other benefits related to animal welfare and economic return for the industry. The meat industry needs to monitor and ensure the appropriate use of antibiotics in food animals, emphasizing sound science and proper risk assessment.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Hodges: Food safety extends from the farm to fork. As such, this industry needs new and innovative technologies applied throughout the production chain. Research shows that what happens on the farm can affect the packing plant. And that eventually affects the consumer. We need to take a holistic approach to food safety, which is why the Foundation will continue its efforts to improve food safety throughout the production, manufacturing and distribution chain.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

LaBudde: Corporate executive. Consulting. Product development.

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

LaBudde: In the industry, everyone would have to say HACCP, as it changed the responsibility for food safety from the USDA to the company. The integration with the industry has been slow, but it is speeding up now that FSIS is focusing on validation and proper CCPs. For food safety in general, I believe the biggest impact has actually come from strain typing of pathogens (PFGE, rDNA) so that outbreaks can now be traced back to a producer. This has revolutionized the liability of companies in the meat industry and has supplied the force for change and invigorated regulators.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

LaBudde: Although the industry has rapidly adopted the machinery of HACCP, it has been very slow to adopt the philosophy and sign up for the real responsibility of food safety. That is happening now from the impetus of FSIS audits.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

LaBudde: The industry needs to believe in its heart that food safety is its own sole responsibility, and that FSIS is only there to keep them honest, not to tell them what to do. Food safety needs to be more important than production efficiency in the minds of all executives. This is very easy to do: Just change priorities. It’s also the hardest thing you can try to get people to do.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

LaBudde: Food safety in the meat industry has been improving steadily. The requirement of franchise chains that ground beef be made only from E. coli O157:H7-tested-negative trimmings has virtually eliminated all such outbreaks due to this product. Salmonella and Campylobacter are, however, becoming increasingly the problem. For example, the latest outbreak from ground beef involved not E. coli O157:H7, but Salmonella.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

LaBudde: Direct-testing technology that allows immediate feedback as to contamination will be a key issue in improving meat and poultry cleanliness in the future. However, it must be understood that the key to food safety is responsibility and accountability within industry. We own the problem. What is sad is the inevitable demise small companies face unless FSIS establishes “safe harbor” methods to use. Otherwise [the small companies] will be driven under by the costs of developing and administering food-safety systems acceptable to the regulators.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Nickelson: Quality, Safety, Regulatory, R&D.

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Nickelson: Research on the source of E. coli O157: H7 — most funded by NCBA to places like Colorado State, the Meat Animal Research Center, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. This research has given us better intelligence on the source and control of this pathogen. The decline in the incidence can be attributed to this research and the industry’s response to the controls.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Nickelson: The meat industry has done a very good job of implementing and validating interventions to control the incidence and levels of pathogens. This has been a continuous improvement process.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Nickelson: We need to help the very small plants better implement their HACCP programs. FSIS and the International HACCP Alliance have presented a plan for this implementation.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Nickelson: Perceptions based on sensationalism and not scientific fact. The current carbon monoxide debacle is a good example.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Nickelson: Someday, we will have a truly rapid test for pathogens (four hours or less).  The term “rapid” these days usually refers to the detection of the pathogen minus the enrichment incubation time. The “rapid” I refer to is the total time from start to finish.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Theno: Well, I wear a number of hats. I’ve got all our quality assurance and product-safety stuff. I’ve got research & development and menu innovation. I’ve got our whole supply chain, guest relations and our field quality assurance program. My primary role is that I’m the most senior technical person in the company.

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Theno: It’s the adoption of the belief that microbial sampling can help make your process better, when people suddenly went away from believing that the microbial data was just interesting data to using it as a management tool for process control, vendor selection and measuring, baseline, how they’re doing every day. The whole food-safety game is all about the control of microbes. I think in the last decade, the improvements we’ve seen certainly in the beef industry and in most of the industries, have been when people finally drop the barrier and resistance to microbial profiling. It’s a weird way to think of an innovation, but if you start to use a tool that you never used effectively before, that is innovative.

Q: Why was it such a breakthrough?

Theno: Food safety, per se, is a microbial control game. I don’t care if it’s Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli. Like all technical problems, if you aren’t measuring the direct effects on the problem issue, you don’t know how you’re doing. We’ve always openly shared our food-safety systems. Even our fiercest competitor in the quick-service industry, we welcome them with open arms and we will share food-safety systems. Food safety should not be an area for competition. It’s an area that needs to be free of that so that there’s a free flow of information. Having a food-safety problem is not good for anyone. A while ago, all this stuff was very proprietary. So the industry taking a look and saying, ‘This isn’t our company problem, this is our problem as a segment,’ that is an innovative approach to it also.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Theno: Certainly the transparency and non-compete in these areas. I also think the industry has done very well about embracing new technologies, whether it’s steam-pasteurization cabinets or Hormel’s high-pressurization pasteurization system or organic acids or feed additives and those kinds of things. The industry really became very sensitive to microbial control and the need to do well with that, and it began embracing technology. And one thing that has been great is with this transparency, you have people that are pioneers — you don’t have to regulate them to do better, they’ll always do better. They’ve not only done better, but they’ve openly shared that information. The little guys might not have had the resources to do the basic research, but once they saw what it could do, they could certainly get the money together to buy the technology and apply it. The industry, despite ebb and flow with regulatory HACCP, I think has embraced it as a process control food-safety management system. People talk about plant HACCP and regulatory HACCP and all that, but the reality is, people get food-safety management through their HACCP systems.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Theno: This is a deal where, as I talked about, you have the pioneers. Well, there are actually two more groups. One is the people who are good followers: They’re interested and they will generally adopt these technologies and want to do better, but they probably won’t be out there on the edge. Unfortunately, there is also a third group. For lack of a better term, I’m going to call them the group that is resistant to change. Nonetheless, even for the lower half of that followers group, something the industry can do is foster and encourage a best-practices approach, so we can get these people who are more resistant to adopting technologies and in improving to move along. I think nurturing, fostering, encouraging and somehow, as an industry group, developing a best-practices format is the best way to go. Take a look at what’s happened with E. coli O157: It’s almost not a beef problem anymore. The primary vector is not ground beef. So that tells you the power of instituting a best-practices format. Everyone knows their responsibilities from start to finish.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Theno: What I would call emerging threats are animal diseases, or potentially even transmission of human diseases through food, and some of the issues we deal with all the time. It’s very easy in our world to get myopic: We’re going to fix Salmonella in chickens or we’re going to fix Campylobacter in chickens. Let’s say we’re doing that diligently, but what if Microbe X shows up? If you’re not looking at a bigger, ‘what are the risks associated with this commodity’ idea, you potentially miss something that’s emerging. You have to keep the radar broad to see what’s out there.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Theno: First and foremost, the capability to do microbial analysis is getting easier and faster. Used to be it was an after-the-fact control, and it’s becoming almost a real-time control system. There are technologies today that are non-analytical that can give readings that are currently being used in biosecurity that I think have applications back into food safety.

Q: What is your primary role in your company/institution?

Wyvill: Manage an applied research group composed of engineers, scientists, technical and administrative staff, and student research assistants focused on developing new and emerging technologies into systems that make food processing more efficient and productive.  

Q: In the meat and poultry industries, what was the single most impactful food-safety innovation made in the last decade?

Wyvill: The introduction of on-line reprocessing rinse stations on the evisceration line (poultry). While the primary intent of these stations was to automatically remove light fecal contamination on carcasses without having to remove the carcasses from the line, they ultimately provided a significant boost in cleaning for all carcasses on the line (including non-fecally contaminated carcasses), helping the industry to lower overall microbial counts on product.

Q: What have the meat and poultry industries done well as a whole in the last decade, as far as food safety goes?

Wyvill: Their use of Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques to manage food-safety hazards has been an unqualified success. It has allowed them to better understand what is influencing conditions and trends that have the potential to contribute to a food-safety problem.

Q: What do the meat and poultry industries need to do better in order to deliver uncompromised product to market?

Wyvill: Increase their surveillance of in-process product. Current statistical screening approaches still have gaps in tracking moment-to-moment process dynamics and instantaneous threats. The best way to handle these is to automate more and more of the surveillance function.

Q: What do you consider to be the biggest threat to food safety in the near future?

Wyvill: Bioterrorism. It is difficult to imagine any way of completely shielding the risk of intentional product contamination. In the finished product distribution network, in particular, the problem is compounded because the product moves from the control of the manufacturer to the control of various distributors and retailers. The threat may be more economic than large-scale loss of life, but with the intentional contamination of only a few products, the repercussions could prove enormous.

Q: With food safety being an extremely hot topic nowadays, where do you see the technology headed? Are there any truly exciting innovations on the horizon?

Wyvill: An intriguing emerging technology for food-safety screening is biosensors. Biosensors are electronic devices that are capable of measuring the presence, identity, and/or quantity of biological organisms very rapidly and frequently without extensive sample preparation. Most do so through integrated detection mechanisms that employ a biological element to generate a signal that corresponds to the concentration of the organism present. A limited number of commercial units are on the market today, most of which are focusing on enhancing the efficiency of laboratory analysis operations. The main advantage they are promoting is their ability to shorten analysis turnaround times and to reduce analysis costs, by reducing and even eliminating time consuming culturing and amplification steps.