When it comes to reducing Salmonella prevalence at processing, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data show the industry is making progress.

Several years ago, leaders in the meat-processing industry joined a food safety consortium exploring the possibilities of electrostatics as applied in antimicrobial intervention.

With the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) declaration of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) as adulterants in non-intact raw beef products and intact raw beef products intended for non-intact use (FSIS, 2012), adding antimicrobial interventions has become standard procedure during beef harvest and further processing.

Consumers increasingly demand antibiotic-free meat and poultry. So how do processors prevent contamination during the pre-harvest stage without using this common antimicrobial?

Consumer interest in natural and clean label is resulting in the growth of natural preservatives and environmentally friendly technologies.