The 2011 Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) 2011 Process Expo. Salmonella and Campylobacter Reduction Conference Risk Management & Intervention

2 Issue: Salmonella in Not-Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) Poultry Products That Appear Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Objective: Share with Industry, Barber Foods salmonella intervention research associated with lowering the risk of salmonella in NRTE poultry products

3 Barber Foods History Family owned for 55 years, Portland, Maine Employ 650 associates Associates represent more than 56 languages and countries Introduced Stuffed Breasts in 1970’s Stuffed Breast share leader Acquired by AdvancePierre Foods in June 2011

Multi - Hurdle Approach  Category 1 supplier requirement  Salmonella testing of all raw materials  Minimal number of suppliers to maximize interaction  Category 1 supplier requirement  Salmonella testing of all raw materials  Minimal number of suppliers to maximize interaction  Packaging - Consumer awareness “RAW” 2008 – 55% Comprehension % Comprehension % Comprehension  Packaging - Consumer awareness “RAW” 2008 – 55% Comprehension % Comprehension % Comprehension  Growth & Distribution Temp Controls - Storage, Process, Shipping Sanitation - Environmental sampling Traffic patterns - OI’s, training Scheduling - Prevent cross contamination  Survival - Intervention treatment (discovery) Supplier Barber Foods  Growth & Distribution Temp Controls - Storage, Process, Shipping Sanitation - Environmental sampling Traffic patterns - OI’s, training Scheduling - Prevent cross contamination  Survival - Intervention treatment (discovery) Supplier Barber Foods  Supplier Approval  Performance monitoring and reporting  Open lines of communication  Shared learning  Supplier Approval  Performance monitoring and reporting  Open lines of communication  Shared learning (A) Consumer Raw Recognition (D) Processor/Supplier Collaboration (C) Salmonella Survival & Growth (C) Salmonella Survival & Growth (B) Raw Materials

5 Multi-Hurdle Approach (B) Raw Materials - Critical path to the management of risk associated with Salmonella in NRTE, Prebrowned Stuffed Chicken Breasts 1.Category 1 supplier requirement 2.Salmonella sampling of all deliveries  Testing of raw materials to understand supplier control capability  APC, EC, Listeria, E.coli, Coliform, Staph, Salmonella  Data driven decision making with respect to Salmonella  Results indicate that Salmonella rates on skin-off poultry is typically much greater than what the Whole Carcass Rinse Test indicates

Multi-Hurdle Approach (C) Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention Phase I  30 Second Dip Application Inoculated Avg log Salmonella reduction Normal product color results  30 Second Dip Application Avg log Salmonella reduction Normal product color results Peroxyacetic Acid, Hydrogen Peroxide, Acetic Acid, HEDP Acetic Acid, Peracetic Acid, Hydrogen Peroxide, & Octanoic Acid  30 Second Dip Application: Inoculated Avg log Salmonella reduction Product turned white; chemical taste Hydrochloric Acid/Citric Acid Key Discovery – pH levels of 1-2 consistently had a noticeable impact on color and taste of product Ideal pH for minimizing risk to key product features is pH 2.5 – 3.5 Key Discovery – pH levels of 1-2 consistently had a noticeable impact on color and taste of product Ideal pH for minimizing risk to key product features is pH 2.5 – 3.5 Samples spiked to an appx. 8 log Salmonella level, using a cocktail mix of S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, S. choleraesuis Samples tested before inoculation, after inoculation, and following treatment Starting load subtracted from inoculated load to calculate inoculation level Enumeration using a manual aerobic plate count method

7 Multi-Hurdle Approach (C) Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention Phase II  Sample inoculation mixture composed of multiple strains of Salmonella grown to ~8 log in Buffered Peptone Water  1ml of inoculum applied to each of 30 sample pieces in individual bags  24hr attachment time given at refrigeration (<40°)  Sample pieces cut in half, aseptically, after 24hr attachment time  1 st half tested to determine starting count  2 nd half treated with intervention method, then tested to determine “after” count  Intervention treatments consist of fully immersing sample (rocking gently) for specified time.  Samples allowed to drip dry before being placed in  sampling bag  All counts converted to log scale for comparisons

8 Test Procedure Salmonella grown up to 8log level Test samples inoculated in sample bag Half of sample tested to determine starting load 24hr Attachment time Total Plate Count Remaining sample treated with selected intervention Remaining sample tested to determine log reduction Total Plate Count

9 Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention Phase II Cont.  30 Second Application: Inoculated 50 ppm concentration Avg log reduction Chlorine  30 Second Application: Inoculated (bench top) Avg log reduction Individual meat strips tested  In Plant testing – non-inoculated samples 150°F water bath for 30 seconds Whole breast treatment Treatment product then run through production Product passes sensory testing Hot Water – 150°F  30 Second Application: Inoculated 200 ppm concentration Avg log reduction Lauric Arginate Sample spiked to an appx. 8 log Salmonella level, using a cocktail mix of S. enteritidis, S. typhimurium, S. choleraesuis Sample set up consisted of 2 samples – 1 control to measure inoculation level, 1 treatment Samples were evaluated using automated total plate counts for enumeration Treatments were performed in individual specimen containers to remove risk of residual bacteria carryover between samples  30 Second Application: Inoculated 2 Chemical suppliers tested 210 ppm concentration Avg log reduction PAA

10 Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention Phase II, cont.  5 Second Application: Inoculated (bench top) Avg log reduction Individual meat strips tested  Results not statistically different from 150deg at 30 seconds  Smaller variation in results Hot Water – 180°F  2 Stage Test - Inoculated deg water at 30 seconds ppm concentration LAE at room temperature Avg log reduction Hot Water/Lauric Arginate

11 Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention Phase II, Cont.

12 Next Steps –  Investigate 2 phase intervention methods  Test for significant interaction between treatments with >1 log reduction when tested individually  Optimize point(s) of implementation in production process to have greatest impact and least chance of downstream recontamination  Investigate different application methods  Dip vs. spray applications  Applications vs. incorporation into marinade  Continue to work towards efficient, consistent means of Salmonella enumeration through use of MPN, Phage technology, and manipulation of existing techniques for other organisms Multi-Hurdle Approach (C) Salmonella Survival & Growth- Intervention

13 Multi-Hurdle Approach (D) (Supplier/Processor) Collaboration  Open door policy – Enhances an organizations problem solving capability  Promotes opportunity for “Farm to Fork” research across all aspects of the poultry supply chain  Rapid response to special cause events  Maximize interaction by minimizing the number of suppliers  Cutlet: to  Skin: to  Trim : to

14 Barriers Organoleptic  Chemical concentrations required to achieve at least a 1 log reduction, negatively impacted the quality of the finished product  Discoloring of meat  Change in flavor profile Raw materials  Producers of NRTE poultry products remain heavily dependant on a suppliers ability to minimize and control final pack salmonella rates  Whole Carcass Rinse test does not account for the impact that further processing may have on Salmonella growth and distribution  Secondary processors such as Barber Foods have limited opportunity to apply an effective treatment  Treatment prior to grind process limited to the outside surface area of a frozen 40 lb block  Treatment for post grind appears to be ineffective based on Barber Foods testing Measurement system  Enumeration capability is crucial to understanding the risk associated within a given sample population (All positives are not created equal) Validation  Unable to conduct “real world” inoculated testing within process – This limits the speed to which laboratory theories can be validated  Unable to enumerate Salmonella to establish a baseline

15  Sampling of various Category One rated plants revealed that final pack salmonella rates commonly exceed 20%  Raw material management via an incoming sampling program, is critical path to minimizing the risk of Salmonella in NRTE poultry products  Extreme caution must be taken when altering any aspect of a proven intervention program  An attempt to comply with the Chlorine Ban aspect of the Russian trade agreement, directly impacted Barber Foods raw material supply chain  Secondary processors such as Barber Foods are constrained by the effectiveness of a suppliers intervention program. Suppliers and Producers must share sampling data if improvements are to occur  World class performance from one skin supplier, indicates that “Further Processing“ intervention is an important part of the salmonella mitigation puzzle  Enumeration capability is key to enhancing our knowledge of Salmonella distribution and concentration in both raw material and finished goods  Testing raw materials at point of pack, is critical to monitoring the effectiveness of an intervention program. Whole Carcass Rinse Test, does not tell the whole story!!! Conclusions

16 Thank you Questions and/or Feedback