FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS AND THE PORK INDUSTRY. Kevin Elfering Director Dairy, Food and Meat Inspection

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1 FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS AND THE PORK INDUSTRY Kevin Elfering Director Dairy, Food and Meat Inspection

2 Quality Assurance Programs

3 Food Safety Concerns Highly publicized animal health and food safety incidents in the past two decades have influenced consumer s perceptions of food safety and quality Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rbgh)

4 Global Food Systems Global food system has fueled competitive marketing practices Interest in differentiating specific products as a means of adding value and to capture market share Increasing demand for third party verification (aka certification)

5 Documentation Consumer groups, food processors, government agencies, retailers, food service operators have requested additional documentation of health status and production characteristics of agricultural practices from farm- to-table table

6 Certification In 1999, Minnesota developed a certification program for agricultural products, called MinnCert MinnCert ensures that certain practices and attributes are achieved and maintained

7 MinnCERT The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) ensures accuracy of claims and records MDA has certified processes, quality standards and claims used in growing, processing and retail sales

8 MNCEP (Minnesota Certified Pork) In 1999, 5 swine producers requested certification of their pork in order to obtain a premium price

9 Food Safety Claims MNCEP producers assessed and tried to address the major food safety concerns of the pork industry Salmonella Toxoplasmosis Trichinella-free production practices Antimicrobial use for therapeutic purposes only

10 Additional MNCEP Criteria No rendered animal bi-products in feed Humane animal husbandry practices Avoiding needle breakage when vaccinating or treating animals

11 MNCEP Quality Assurance Standards established A 38 page handbook developed A third party auditor hired

12 MNCEP Production Swift Packing agreed to process the pork A large retailer in the Twin Cities (Kowalski s Markets) agreed to purchase all of the fresh product from the MNCEP Coop Consumers were willing to pay an additional $0.25/pound for MNCEP

13 Salmonella Control The retailer and the consumer had great interest in the food safety claims Although MNCEP never made the claim that their product was safer, they claimed to have reduced Salmonella and asserted that the product had the Highest Food Safety Standards

14 Baseline Data from MNCEP Swine Herds Baseline data from the 5 MNCEP herds showed low levels of Salmonella antibodies Testing method used in Denmark and Germany to establish Salmonella prevalence Most but not all Salmonella serotypes are detected by this test

15 On-Farm Interventions to Control Salmonella Targeted sampling of the environment for Salmonella Good manufacturing practices for feed mixing Vector control (birds, rodents, cats, dogs) Strict bio-security Strict sanitation during growth period and prior to new animal introductions

16 Intervention Effectiveness MNCEP herds were tested for Salmonella antibodies after control measures implemented

17 Results December 2000 Serum samples obtained from 10% of each of the 5 MNCEP herds and analyzed for Salmonella antibodies Only one animal positive for Salmonella June 2001 Serum samples obtained from market hogs two weeks prior to slaughter All samples negative for Salmonella

18 Conclusions The MNCEP project suggests that Salmonella contamination can be reduced and maintained This may correspond to levels lower than the 8.7% positive Salmonella rate allowed in the USDA Salmonella Performance Standards These on-farm measures may contribute to the production of a safer product

19 Food Safety Implications MNCEP producers were highly motivated in improving their production prior to certification Although MNCEP herds had reduced levels of Salmonella,, contamination can still occur at slaughter plants

20 Why Did MNCEP Fail? The meat quality was inconsistent Meat tenderness and moisture retention qualities of the pork differed between herds Variability due to differing genetics of the 5 MNCEP herds Retailer was moving to Case Ready product The Processor did not have the capability to produce Case Ready products

21 Is Added value and Food Safety Assurance a Reality? Although MNCEP faltered, it was not due to food safety concerns It is clear that food safety is a systems approach We cannot look at one component in the system and identify that as the most important

22 What are we doing to promote the systems approach? The MDA and the University of Minnesota have embarked on a project to develop a cadre of food safety specialists Address the problem of food safety from an entire food system approach

23 Master s Degree in Public Health (Summer Institute) 3 week course that examines the entire food system including food security, processing, public health preparedness and foodborne disease epidemiology The capstone of the course are three field trips highlighting particular agricultural commodities In 2002, field trips included tours of swine production and processing facilities

24 Goals of The Summer Institute Become familiar with all steps in the manufacturing of a food product Identify points in the production chain can add to, reduce, or prevent contamination of the finished product

25 Feed Mill

26 Swine Production Facility

27 Meat Processor

28 Retailer

29 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Training for Food Inspectors and Sanitarians Inspector/students manufacture their own product Clean the equipment Develop Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures Write HACCP plans

30 Meat Preparation

31 Product Manufacturing

32 Cleanup

33 Inspection of Clean Equipment Using Bioluminescence

34 Finished Products

35 Purpose of the Education The Student/Inspectors appreciate food safety from the processor s perspective Can become more of a consultant to the industry educating rather than simply regulating

36 Food Safety The systems Approach PCA APHIS Feed Farm Proc BOAH Consumer Retail Trans

37 THE PORK INDUSTRY FROM FARM-TO TO-TABLE TABLE