Aerobic plate counts of 3,455 brisket and 1,370 ground beef samples were examined for association... more Aerobic plate counts of 3,455 brisket and 1,370 ground beef samples were examined for association with slaughter volume in 547 U.S. beef slaughter establishments. In general, high-volume beef slaughter establishments control total aerobic bacteria counts on briskets and ground beef more effectively than small volume establishments. The lower Aerobic plate counts at high slaughter volumes may have resulted from uniformity of cattle slaughtered, specialization of labor, measures taken to prevent contamination, and effective decontamination of carcasses in high-volume slaughter establishments. In this study the prevalence of Salmonella contamination was found to be more closely associated with the health of animals brought to slaughter than with certain conditions in the slaughter establishments. The prevalence of contamination of brisket and ground beef samples with Salmonella was highest in calf slaughter establishments. Salmonella contamination on brisket samples increased as antemo...
We recently reviewed the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS's) inspection procedu... more We recently reviewed the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS's) inspection procedures for lambs. As a result, FSIS published a Federal Register notice informing the public of its intent to change from an inspection system that requires extensive carcass palpation to an inspection system that requires no carcass palpation for lambs. This decision was based on the following three points. (i) Extensive carcass palpation in lambs does not routinely aid in the detection of food safety hazards that result in meat-borne illnesses. (ii) Hands are capable of spreading or adding contamination to the carcasses. (iii) FSIS inspection systems must reflect science-based decisions as they pertain to meat-borne illnesses consistent with a Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point environment.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Crit... more The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems; Final Rule (the PR/HACCP rule) on 25 July 1996. To verify that industry PR/HACCP systems are effective in controlling the contamination of raw meat and poultry products with human disease–causing bacteria, this rule sets product-specific Salmonella performance standards that must be met by slaughter establishments and establishments producing raw ground products. These performance standards are based on the prevalence of Salmonella as determined from the FSIS's nationwide microbial baseline studies and are expressed in terms of the maximum number of Salmonella-positive samples that are allowed in a given sample set. From 26 January 1998 through 31 December 2000, federal inspectors collected 98,204 samples and 1,502 completed sample sets for Salmonella analysis from large, small, and very small establishments that produced at least one of seven raw ...
In July 1996, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),... more In July 1996, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), published the Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems final rule to improve food safety of meat and poultry products. The final rule established, among other requirements, pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella for food animal carcasses and raw ground products. The final rule is to be fully implemented in three stages in successively smaller federally inspected meat and poultry slaughter and processing establishments. Implementation began in January 1998 and was completed in January 2000. Samples of carcasses of four species of food animals (cattle, swine, chickens, turkeys), and raw ground product from each of these species, were collected by FSIS from establishments prior to implementation of the final rule and cultured for Salmonella. This paper reports Salmonella serotype results of samples collected from June 1997 through August 1998. These results represent a baseline for future comparisons.
Aerobic plate counts of 3,455 brisket and 1,370 ground beef samples were examined for association... more Aerobic plate counts of 3,455 brisket and 1,370 ground beef samples were examined for association with slaughter volume in 547 U.S. beef slaughter establishments. In general, high-volume beef slaughter establishments control total aerobic bacteria counts on briskets and ground beef more effectively than small volume establishments. The lower Aerobic plate counts at high slaughter volumes may have resulted from uniformity of cattle slaughtered, specialization of labor, measures taken to prevent contamination, and effective decontamination of carcasses in high-volume slaughter establishments. In this study the prevalence of Salmonella contamination was found to be more closely associated with the health of animals brought to slaughter than with certain conditions in the slaughter establishments. The prevalence of contamination of brisket and ground beef samples with Salmonella was highest in calf slaughter establishments. Salmonella contamination on brisket samples increased as antemo...
We recently reviewed the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS's) inspection procedu... more We recently reviewed the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS's) inspection procedures for lambs. As a result, FSIS published a Federal Register notice informing the public of its intent to change from an inspection system that requires extensive carcass palpation to an inspection system that requires no carcass palpation for lambs. This decision was based on the following three points. (i) Extensive carcass palpation in lambs does not routinely aid in the detection of food safety hazards that result in meat-borne illnesses. (ii) Hands are capable of spreading or adding contamination to the carcasses. (iii) FSIS inspection systems must reflect science-based decisions as they pertain to meat-borne illnesses consistent with a Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point environment.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Crit... more The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems; Final Rule (the PR/HACCP rule) on 25 July 1996. To verify that industry PR/HACCP systems are effective in controlling the contamination of raw meat and poultry products with human disease–causing bacteria, this rule sets product-specific Salmonella performance standards that must be met by slaughter establishments and establishments producing raw ground products. These performance standards are based on the prevalence of Salmonella as determined from the FSIS's nationwide microbial baseline studies and are expressed in terms of the maximum number of Salmonella-positive samples that are allowed in a given sample set. From 26 January 1998 through 31 December 2000, federal inspectors collected 98,204 samples and 1,502 completed sample sets for Salmonella analysis from large, small, and very small establishments that produced at least one of seven raw ...
In July 1996, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),... more In July 1996, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), published the Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems final rule to improve food safety of meat and poultry products. The final rule established, among other requirements, pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella for food animal carcasses and raw ground products. The final rule is to be fully implemented in three stages in successively smaller federally inspected meat and poultry slaughter and processing establishments. Implementation began in January 1998 and was completed in January 2000. Samples of carcasses of four species of food animals (cattle, swine, chickens, turkeys), and raw ground product from each of these species, were collected by FSIS from establishments prior to implementation of the final rule and cultured for Salmonella. This paper reports Salmonella serotype results of samples collected from June 1997 through August 1998. These results represent a baseline for future comparisons.
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