AUGUST 2024ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS REVIEW8 OPINIONIN MYWhen I arrivedin the U.S. in July of 1999, little did I know, I would be immersed in a micro adventure. Whilepursing my degree in Food Science at the University of Maryland, I was introduced to food safety research. Dr. Jianghong Meng conducted research on retail meats to identify the prevalence of E. coli (generic), Salmonella and a new bacteria I had heard of before, but was not familiar with --Campylobacter spp. I found food safety research simplyfascinating, as well as conducting research at the US Food and Drug Administration -Center for Veterinary Medicine. With my research and thesis focused on fluroquinolone resistance of avian E. coli from North Georgia, it was natural that my interest would focus on the poultry industry. When I started my first job in the industry in 2002, I realized that all my microbiology, research and food processing knowledge came in handy. I was working for a very efficient team with the same objective, producing safe poultry products to feed, literally, the world. Our "enemy" was E. coli and Salmonella, we didn't talk about Campylobacter spp., as nobody didin that time. With innovation, we devised strategies to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella-- a naturally occurring and colonizing bacteria in poultry. We used science and controlled Salmonella with physical interventions, adjusting pH of solutions, adjusting the temperature during the process and the media, ensuring First In, First Out (FIFO) food storage, as well as being conscious about shelf-life and the fact that we work with a perishable product. At the time, the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) had a 13-rolling window for E. colilevel (CFU/ml) with marginal "m" results (100 CFU/ml) and unacceptable "M" results ( 1,000 CFU/ml) and a 51-consecutive day rolling window for Salmonellaprevalence (%) with a maximum allowable of 12/51 samples. I can't even tell you how many Salmonella"windows" I have been involved in, all of them completed successfully and without further action. By 2004, I started working with an AMAZING company, and FSIS changes in regulatory framework were full on board with new water retention statements on packages, the HACCP Based Inspection Model Project (HIMP), new interventions, and new technologies(e.g., only-line reprocessing) becoming the new norm. A couple of years later, the FSIS announced the implementation of Salmonella categories (Category 1: 0-6, Category 2: 7-12 and Category 3: >12 out of 51 consecutive samples collected ­for prevalence) for poultry establishments, which were based on the Salmonella rolling window results for whole birds (WB). As the poultry industry improved and drastically reduced the prevalence of Salmonella, a new prevalence standard was announced in 2011: 5/51 with Categories changing to Category By Juan F. DeVillena, Sr. Vice President of Quality Assurance and Food Safety, Wayne-Sanderson FarmsTHE MICRO (R)EVOLUTION IN THE USWith innovation, we devised strategies to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella-- a naturally occurring and colonizing bacteria in poultry
< Page 7 | Page 9 >