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Food Protection Trends
Abstracts - January 2008
A Review of the Developments in the Regulation of Poultry Processing to Incorporate HACCP in New South Wales, Australia
Food Safety Practices of Meat Slaughter Plants: Findings from a National Survey
Benefits and Barriers to Following HACCP-based Food Safety Programs in Childcare Centers
A Review of the Developments in the Regulation of Poultry Processing to Incorporate HACCP in New South Wales, Australia
Stuart King and Michelle C. Adams
Postal: c/o Michelle C. Adams, Faculty of Science and IT, University of Newcastle, Mailroom, University Drive,
Callaghan, NSW, Australia 2308; School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and IT,
University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia 2308
SUMMARY
This paper reviews changes in the regulatory processes for ensuring food safety in the New South Wales poultry industry with the adoption of a HACCP-based food safety system through a single food safety authority and relates this system to the changes occurring in Australia. The NSW poultry processing industry contributes 35% of the poultry consumed in Australia. Per capita consumption is on the order of 33 kg per year, and 80% of the population reported having consumed poultry in any seven-day period. It is considered a high-risk food by public health regulators. Over the past 100 years, the way in which the industry has been regulated in NSW has changed substantially, moving from general regulation under the Pure Food Act of 1908, through the industry-specific regulation of the Poultry Processing Act of 1969 and finally to the “paddock to plate” HACCP-based regulatory scheme of the NSW Food Act of 2003. Over that time, the industry has become uniform in the way in which it processes poultry, and good operators in NSW can achieve relatively low microbial counts of indicator organisms. Surveys of the industry carried out at the start of the introduction of HACCP-based food safety systems in 1998–99 and then two years later demonstrated a reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella positive carcasses, from 48.6% on all classes of poultry product in 1998–99 to 34.3% in 2001. No further industry-wide data are yet available to confirm a continuation of this trend under the present regulatory system.
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Food Safety Practices of Meat Slaughter Plants: Findings from a National Survey
Sheryl C. Cates, Catherine L. Viator, Shawn A. Karns and Mary K. Muth
RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
SUMMARY
Meat slaughter plants may implement technologies and practices to control E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and other pathogens during slaughter, fabrication, and further processing operations (e.g., grinding or cooking). To characterize the use of food safety practices and technologies in the US meat slaughter industry, we conducted a nationally representative survey of plants that slaughter cattle, swine, goats, lambs and other meat species, including plants that slaughter and also conduct further processing activities (598 completed surveys, 65% response rate). Many plants have adopted the food safety technologies and practices asked about in the survey. In particular, 75% of plants use some type of carcass decontamination intervention, and 41% use some type of decontamination intervention for processed product such as ground beef or luncheon meats. Seventy percent of plants conduct voluntary microbiological testing, and 52% conduct environmental sampling. Less than 30% of plants have their operations audited, have written food security policies and procedures, and have documented requirements that animal growers use stipulated practices for pathogen control. Large and small plants are more likely than very small plants to use many of the food safety practices and technologies (P < 0.01). The survey findings, coupled with other data, can be used to characterize meat slaughter plants’ food safety risk management practices.
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Benefits and Barriers to Following HACCP-based Food Safety Programs in Childcare Centers
Lynn D. Riggins and Betsy Barrett
1-University of Central Missouri, Humphreys 216, Warrensburg, MO 64093, USA;
2-Kansas State University, Justin 104, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
SUMMARY
Before HACCP can be implemented in childcare centers, it is important to identify existing prerequisite programs and implementation barriers. Studying the food safety beliefs and perceptions of directors and foodservice employees in childcare centers is the first step in the process. On the basis of reviewing previous Health Belief Model and food safety research, an instrument was developed that focused on childcare centers, the children at the childcare centers, and HACCP-based food safety behaviors. The population for this study included childcare centers directors and foodservice employees in six Midwestern states.
Overall, respondents agreed that they could follow HACCP-based programs; however, foodservice employees indicated more confidence in their abilities than did directors. The least imple-mented prerequisite programs were those related to equipment
maintenance, food safety training, and kitchen operation procedures. For all nine prerequisite programs, significant differences based on certification status were found. It appears that childcare centers could easily adapt existing programs to follow a HACCP-based food safety program, but additional food safety training is needed. Future research conducted with directors and employees of childcare centers should assess knowledge levels and attitudes about HACCP-based food safety programs.
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