Tag Archives: salmonella

A Salmonella Action Plan: A New USDA Approach

bacteria3 (2)In the food industry’s efforts to take on food safety, progress has been made. Yet, so much remains to be done. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) this December in their “Salmonella Action Plan” discussed that: “Salmonella illness estimates have continued at a steady high or slightly increased rate despite FSIS interventions” in the past several years. This new action plan sets up a list of priorities that the agency will actively take on in 2014 to combat Salmonella in meat and poultry products.  You can check out the full report right here.

By upping the ante, it is hoped that the “estimated 1.3 million illnesses…attributed to Salmonella every year” will start to decrease each year by the thousands. Regulatory agencies and food industry producers can be sure that Salmonella will no doubt be a key focus in the coming months  thanks to such measures. So, what can you do in this larger fight? One method of potentially changing the tide is in your hands and the hands of the employees in your operation: quality testing.

Nelson-Jameson, working with 3M, is proud to offer 3M™ Petrifilm™ Salmonella Express Count Plates. This system utilizes 3M Food Safety’s Petrifilm™ technology, an industry standard, and delivers an all-in-one test and biochemical confirmation method in as little as 44 hours. These rapid tests provide your operation with a level of cost-effective, prompt peace-of-mind in assuring a quality product. Along with comprehensive initiatives like the “Salmonella Action Plan,” these local efforts such as testing for Salmonella using 3M™ Petrifilm™ Salmonella Express Count Plates in your operation can help us all gear up and take on Salmonella in 2014!

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Focusing on the Issues: Isolating Foodborne Illness

Norovirus

Source: FoodSafety.gov

Some new focus has come to the world of food safety thanks to the publication of: “Attribution of Foodborne Illnesses, Hospitalizations, and Deaths to Food Commodities by using Outbreak Data, United States, 1998–2008.” in the latest issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

In the study, produce was responsible for 46% of foodborne illness cases in the time period examined. In produce, leafy vegetables led the pack in attributed illnesses, with norovirus being the most common culprit affecting the market.  The greatest number of deaths were attributed to land animal commodities. About 19% of the deaths reported were connected to poultry, with many of these cases linked to Listeria or Salmonella.

In all, seventeen commodities were examined in the study that covered 1998-2008.    So, what is to be made of these findings? The authors describe that the study is a useful step in addressing foodborne illness, but a great deal of work needs to be done in order to effectively follow up on these results. “The attribution of foodborne-associated illnesses and deaths to specific commodities is useful for prioritizing public health activities; however, additional data on the specific food consumed is needed to assess per-serving risk.” If you would like to learn more about the study (methods, results, etc.), you can check out the article in full here for free on the CDC’s website.

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