By Mike Simone and Elizabeth Smith

By Andrew Lorenz

2023 has been a hot one. Here in Northern Wisconsin, we went from winter, had a two-day spring, and jumped right into summer!

Foodborne outbreaks and recall data

I spent time going through USDA FSIS recall data (last published summary is from 2022) as well as CDC data on foodborne outbreaks (last published data is from 2021).

Some interesting things jump out. For example, in 2017 there were 131 recalls, but in 2022 there were only 45. Some of the drop can be explained by the issuing of public health alerts instead of requesting a recall.

Looking at foodborne outbreaks in 2021, 6.1% could be attributed to a meat or poultry product. That is 15 confirmed cases of a meat product being implicated out of 242 foodborne outbreak investigations. In 12 cases, Salmonella enterica was identified. In two cases STEC was identified, and in one case, Listeria monocytogenes was identified. When comparing 2021 recalls against the foodborne outbreaks, there were five recalls for Listeria monocytogenes, four recalls for Salmonella and two recalls for STEC.

I then looked at the 2022 recalls, and there were six recalls for Listeria monocytogenes, zero recalls for Salmonella and three for STEC. While CDC hasn’t published the foodborne outbreak data for 2022, from reading the individual posted cases, it appears to be a flat line, with no major increase or decrease. The same holds true for recalls.

On the regulatory front

It has been an interesting year on the regulatory front.

With the CIS program picking up steam in most states, small and medium processors have a choice of who they want to regulate them. Unfortunately, not all states are equal, and when we are contacted by a new small or medium-sized facility looking for advice on what way to go, our first question is: What state are you located in? Minnesota and Missouri have great programs; others have a long way to go until they are equal to or same as the federal program.

Some examples of what we have seen: In Iowa you can be a plant owner and a state food inspector — not sure how that isn’t a conflict of interest. In another state, the bureau chief and the senior EIAO/technical expert didn’t understand you can have a critical control point and have multiple ways to apply control to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level. Another example is that during a federal state audit, the state suspended a facility after they found out the inspector hadn’t reviewed records for over two years. It was a good way to keep the federal auditors out of the plant. It didn’t matter that it almost put a business down, and over 20 jobs were on the line. That establishment is now federal.

FSIS has had its own share of struggles, mainly the same issue industry faces: a shortage of qualified staff.

FSIS published their market study concerning the prevalence of Clostridium perfringens. A single sample came back positive, and the level was so low it wasn’t a public health risk. If anyone remembers when industry and FSIS were going back and forth concerning the 2021 version of Appendix B, we were told that FSIS was doing the study and would publish it with Appendix B. My guess is there was a bit of delay in publishing; the report doesn’t support rolling out a new rule like Appendix B. What it does support is that producers are doing a good job of controlling Clostridium perfringens.

Interestingly, there have been zero foodborne outbreaks related to nitrite or nitrate related to food since CDC started tracking the data. Yet we have individual inspectors trying to ban the use of nitrite, even going so far as to call OSHA.

USDA FSIS is working with NPIP concerning salmonella in poultry. We are looking forward to seeing some of their recommendations!

Current trends and issues:

We are seeing a lot of contamination of raw material. This one applies to meat, poultry and pretty much all other products. I encourage everyone to take a close look at your receiving programs and apply mitigation strategies wherever you can. As you can see from the recalls, it only takes a tiny piece of metal, plastic, wood or other contaminate and you will find yourself in the middle of a recall. It is worth the time to get ahead of a contamination issue versus finding yourself in a recall.

Technology is changing fast. At the shows this year, the suppliers really came through with some new technology — everything from improved bone collection to high-speed imaging systems. And plants are adopting it as fast as they can. The multitude of grants has made it much more affordable to address aging equipment and buildings.

Frivolous lawsuits seem to be the new way for lawyers to cash in. Watch your labeling to ensure you can defend yourself.

Buying local is something that consumers want to do. Being able to accurately articulate product source is becoming more prominent in the consumers' expectations.

I expect plants at all levels will face issues getting qualified workers. As the baby boomers retire out of the work force, automation is fast becoming mandatory. We face major challenges around getting and retaining employees, but as other industries slow down we will be able to fill in the critical gaps. The workforce isn’t just short potential employees — what they expect as far as salary, benefits and culture is also changing. We must adjust to the changes they are demanding.

As we enter this election cycle I expect more announcements of grants and other funding opportunities. You need to be ready to jump on these as they are announced — be ready ahead of time.

Final thoughts

We are an innovative industry. Regardless of what our mainstream media likes to run on their news cycle about the meat and poultry industry, go through the data, and as an industry we are doing an outstanding job in protecting our consumers. Our biggest challenge is, and remains, educating consumers on how to properly cook their food. Safe handling instructions just don’t get it done. We need to partner with USDA-FSIS, AMS, etc. and teach kids in school basic food handling and preparation.

Andrew Lorenz is chief executive officer of We R Food Safety.

www.provisoneronline.com   |   october 2023