# Presentation: 755998

## Pathogen Reduction DialoguePanel 2HACCP Impacts onContamination Levelsin Meat and Poultry Products: FSIS Perspective

- Delila R. Parham, DVM
- Office of Public Health and Science
- Food Safety and Inspection Service
- May 6, 2002

## Discussion 

- The Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Rule
*Escherichia coli* performance criteria
*Salmonella* performance standards
- Assessing Impact
*Salmonella* Compliance Sampling Results
- Other Measures of Impact

## FSIS’ Daily Mission

- To protect the public’s health through ensuring
- –  to the greatest extent possible –
- the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products,
- both domestic and imported.
- 
- The Pathogen Reduction
- and HACCP Rule

## Need for the Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Rule

- 1993 Outbreak of *Escherichia coli* O157:H7
- Organoleptic System of Inspection
- Pathogenic Microorganisms

## Objective of the Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Rule

- Build effective measures for reducing and controlling pathogenic microorganisms into food production processes.

## Elements of the Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Rule

- Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)
- HACCP System
- Microbiological Testing

## Elements of the Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Rule

- Microbiological Testing
- Generic *Escherichia coli*
- Process Control – Prevent Fecal Contamination
- Plant Testing Requirement
*Salmonella*
- Pathogen Reduction Performance Standards
- FSIS Testing Program

## Escherichia coli Performance Criteria

- Testing Requirements Effective January 27, 1997
- Cattle, Swine, Chicken, Turkey Plants
- Frequency of Testing Based on Production Volume:  Minimum Once Per Day
- Acceptable, Marginal, and Unacceptable Categories of Performance

## Escherichia coli Testing

| Slaughter Class | Lower Marginal Range (m) | Upper Marginal Range (M) | Number of Samples  | Maximum in Marginal Range |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cattle | Negative | 100 cfu/cm2 | 13 | 3 |
| Swine | 10 cfu/cm2 | 10,000 cfu/cm2 | 13 | 3 |
| Broilers | 100 cfu/ml | 1,000 cfu/ml | 13 | 3 |
| Turkeys | N.A. | N.A. | N.A. | N.A. |

*N.A. = Not applicable.*

## Salmonella Performance Standards

- HACCP Implementation Schedule:
- Large Plants: January 26, 1998  (_>_500 employees)
- Small Plants: January 25, 1999 (10 to 499 employees)
- Very Small Plants: January 25, 2000 (<10 employees)

## Salmonella Performance Standards

*Salmonella* was selected as a target organism because it:
-   Is a common cause of food-borne illness.
-   Occurs often enough to be detected and monitored.
-   Is recovered using current methodologies.
-   Is reduced or eliminated by intervention strategies        effective against other pathogens.

## Salmonella Performance Standards

| Product  Class | PerformanceStandard for Salmonella | Number of Samples in a Sample Set  | Number of  Positives  in a Sample Set |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Steers/Heifers | 1.0 % | 82 | 1 |
| Cows/Bulls | 2.7 % | 58 | 2 |
| Hogs | 8.7% | 55 | 6 |
| Broilers | 20.0% | 51 | 12 |
| Ground Beef | 7.5% | 53 | 5 |
| Ground Chicken | 44.6% | 53 | 26 |
| Ground Turkey | 49.9% | 53 | 29 |

## Salmonella Progress Report

- 1998-2001 report released April 2002.
- http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPHS/haccp/salm4year.htm
- Prevalence declined in all product classes to levels below baseline prevalence estimates.

## Salmonella Sample Collection

- Computer generated sample request
- Sample collected daily by FSIS inspectors according to protocol for specific product class
- Analyzed at FSIS laboratories
- Reported as positive or negative
- Positive isolates sent to National Veterinary Services Laboratory to identify serotype

## Salmonella Progress Report

| Product Class | Std. 
(%) | All Plants  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Steers/Heifers | 1.0 | 0.0%
(214) | 0.3%
(782) | 0.4% 
(1,092) | 0.6%
(1,695) |
| Cows/Bulls | 2.7 | 1.1%
(179) | 2.2%
(1,521) | 2.2% 
(1,995) | 2.4%
(2,176) |
| Hogs | 8.7 | 5.8%
(1,390) | 9.8%
(1,923) | 6.2% 
(5,170) | 3.8%
(8,090) |
| Broilers | 20.0 | 10.8%
(5,659) | 11.4%
(6,768) | 9.1%
(10,057) | 11.9%
(8,955) |

*Number of samples provided in parenthesis.*

## Salmonella Progress Report

| Product Class | Std. 
(%) | All Plants  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Ground Beef
 | 7.5 | 6.4%
(1,296) | 4.3%
(16,375) | 3.3%
(32,844) | 2.8%
(24,243) |
| Ground Chicken | 44.6 | 4.2%
(24) | 16.2%
(297) | 13.8%
(414) | 19.5%
(262) |
| Ground
 Turkey | 49.9 | 36.5%
(591) | 31.6%
(1,050) | 25.7%
(1,551) | 26.2%
(520) |

*Number of samples provided in parenthesis.*

## Salmonella Progress Report

- 2,684
- 5,879
- 8,955

-      61
- 2,821
- 7,175
- 10,057

- 0

- 0

-     14
- 5,645
- 5,659

- 2,238
- 4,530
- 6,768

- 392

- %

## Limitations to FSIS Salmonella Data

- Regulatory testing program best at tracking plant performance, not estimating prevalence.
- Not all size plants are represented each year.
- Testing not based on plant production volume.
- Testing scheme does not consider factors such as seasonality.

## FoodNet Report

- FoodNet:  Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network
- Determines burden of foodborne disease, monitors disease trends, determines proportion of foodborne diseases due to specific food commodities
- Preliminary report on incidence of foodborne illnesses at selected sites released April 2002
- During 1996-2001, estimated incidence of *Salmonella* infections decreased 15%.
- _[http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/m5l15a3.](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/m5l15a3.htm)__[htm](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/m5l15a3.htm)_

## Limitations to FoodNet Data

- Variations in testing for pathogen may account for variations in incidence.
- Some illnesses may be acquired through non-foodborne sources.
- Data not reflective of entire U.S. population.

## Food for Thought

- How do we assess impact?
- Would we be as confident that HACCP has had a beneficial impact  on contamination levels in meat and poultry if the incidence of human illnesses attributed to *Salmonella* had not decreased?