Salmonella standards in pork on the horizon; are you ready?
Pending changes to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) performance standards regarding Salmonella create an opportunity for both producers and processors to reevaluate the food safety precautions taken when producing safe and wholesome food. Preparing to meet the performance standards is an ongoing effort for processors who routinely monitor and improve their approach to addressing all pathogen concerns.
While Salmonella may be prevalent in many food sources, controlling the bacteria in meat processing is particularly challenging. Understanding the critical control points and intervention methods throughout a multi-hurdle processing chain and how different technologies work down the line can help reduce the introduction of pathogens in the processing environment.
Salmonella consequences
In recent years, the pork industry has strived to reduce the outbreak and contamination of Salmonella in food. Paired with the introduction of the pending FSIS Salmonella standards, the pork industry is gearing up to implement best practices to control the bacteria.
Establishing food safety standards and processes to ensure protocols are followed is crucial to ensure consumers have access to reliable, nutritious and safe food. With increasing regulations of production practices, like on-farm antibiotics, it’s becoming harder to control pathogens of all types, including Salmonella.
There will be consequences imposed on meat processors unable to control Salmonella contamination in facilities. While upgrading sanitation processes and production systems play critical roles in reducing or eliminating the risk of Salmonella contamination, it’s often not enough to mitigate the risk of pathogens.
How you can control Salmonella
ARM & HAMMER™ offers a variety of postharvest solutions to combat bacterial contamination, including Salmonella. One of those products, PorciBrom™, is an antimicrobial that reduces foodborne pathogens in pork.
This food safety intervention product is integrated into food safety hurdle processes, where it is sprayed directly on carcasses. It has no impact on the color or flavor of pork, which allows the product to keep its integrity. Safe for workers and equipment, PorciBrom is proven to reduce the presence and contamination risk of Salmonella.1
In a commercial facility1, applying PorciBrom reduced Salmonella surrogates from a carcass wash, as well as a spray chill application. It also reduced total plate count, resulting in an increased shelf life of five days.
PorciBrom is a critical tool in helping processors protect pork from Salmonella contamination. Recent trials confirm the efficacy of the product as a postharvest intervention for pathogen reduction and show no exposure concerns for carcasses and employees.2
Adding PorciBrom into pork sanitation processes can help processers get ahead of impending regulations and produce safe, high quality products for consumers. Contact us to learn how you can improve food safety with ARM & HAMMER.
1 Onsite trial in commercial setting. Data on file. 2019.