Validation to Improve Meat and Poultry Safety

Although its value is increasingly recognized, there is currently a degree of uncertainty about validation and how it should be used to promote food safety. According to the FSIS, inadequate validation of the control mechanisms have resulted in HACCP programs which are ineffective at controlling the hazards they are designed to address. Validation is the process of demonstrating that HACCP systems as designed can adequately control identified hazards to produce a safe and unadulterated product. The two main elements of validation are: 1) Scientific or technical support for the HACCP system and 2) Practical in-plant demonstration proving the HACCP system can perform as expected. Likewise, verification is the key to the ongoing assurance that the system is being implemented, as designed, to consistently reduce or eliminate pathogens, foreign materials and chemical contaminants that are inherent or likely to occur in the product or process. This workshop will provide an in depth guide to the methodologies to be employed in HACCP validation and key steps to meet verification requirements.

The purpose of conducting this workshop is to disseminate the theory and practice of process validation in food safety enhancement activities. This workshop will provide a practical interpretation of the existing science, guidelines and policies regarding validation, as well as developments in science and policies relative to recovery, characterization and control of pathogens directly from foods. Given the uncertainty regarding validation and the upcoming new guidelines and policies on validation along with new scientific developments, it is crucial for IAFP to address changing policies on meat and poultry validation guidelines at the 2012 annual meeting. This one-day pre-conference workshop will provide an update on the newest USDA-FSIS compliance guidelines on HACCP systems validations and be conducted by a group of experienced scientists who support stakeholders in the promotion and application of scientifically sound approaches and protocols for food process validation. The workshop will be of specific interest and conducting it at IAFP will provide a platform to facilitate a dialog among researchers, processors, regulatory personnel and technology providers on proper validation implementation.

Topics

• What are You Trying to Validate?
• Basic Science in Food Processing
• Mechanics of Experimentation
• Statistics
• Interpretation

Instructors

Gary Acuff, Texas A&M University
Catherine Cutter, Pennsylvania State University
Mindy Brashears, Texas Tech University
James Dickson, Iowa State University
John Luchansky, U.S. Department of Agriculture-ARS
Randall Phebus, Kansas State University
Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Organizers

Manpreet Singh, Auburn University