"Clean label" as one of the leading trends in the meat industry in the world and in Poland ­ a review

The contemporary market of food products is highly variable. The reason for this is, among others the significant number of factors governing consumer choices in relation to food. Research results indicate that Polish consumers are increasingly declaring their interest in food features such as sensory and health properties, and safety. Most likely, social education, campaigns of food societies and own initiatives of food producers promoting new, "healthy" products have contributed to this. Among other things, the ever increasing consumer knowledge on the relationship between lifestyle and diet and health has become for many food businesses prerequisite for the development and marketing of new products. In food production in the world and in Poland the so-called "clean label" trend is one of fastest growing initiatives aimed at improving the health quality of foods. The "clean label" has not yet been defined in food law and is understood rather subjectively. Generally, this term is attributed to products free from "artificial" additives and produced by "natural" or based on a traditional recipe methods known to consumers. In the article, based on the available literature, selected trends in food production at the beginning of the 21st century, with particular emphasis on "clean label" have been discussed. Taking meat processing industry as an example, the measures undertaken by the companies of food industry to produce "clean label" food products have been illustrated. In addition, consumer attitudes toward contemporary trends in the food market, including meat and meat products, have been characterized. In conclusion, the need for legislative intervention to provide appropriate definition for the term "clean label" and the need for consumer education about assessment of quality of foods are emphasized.

Survey for Toxoplasma gondii by PCR detection in meat for human consumption in Colombia.

The overall risk for toxoplasmosis in meat produced in Colombia is unknown. We analyzed by PCR assay meat samples for human consumption in two types of plants in Colombia: 120 samples from class I plants (60 samples from chicken, 30 from swine and 30 from beef) and 60 from class II plants (30 samples from beef and 30 from swine). Presence of Toxoplasma DNA was established by targeted B1 nested PCR assay. We detected 79 (43%) samples that were positive by B1 nested PCR (33 from chicken, 22 from beef, and 24 from pork). No differences were found by region or species. Eleven positive samples were confirmed by sequencing of the B1 repeated region. Some polymorphisms were detected without relation with clonal groups nor meat species. Food animals are highly exposed to Toxoplasma in Colombia. Detailed studies are needed to establish the reasons for differences in Toxoplasma prevalence between farms, regarding practices of animal food production.

On physiological demands and sustainability in meat cutting.

Meat cutters' work has been investigated by several researchers. However, knowledge about the physiological demands of meat cutting is almost lacking. The aim of this explorative study was to assess physiological demands in meat cutting, to compare them with International Labour Organization (ILO) recommendations for acceptable workload and to discuss the findings in relation to individual and work-related factors. In accordance with the ILO recommendations, work was categorised as sustainable or non-sustainable based on critical relative aerobic strain (RAS) levels. Twenty-one beef and pork cutters participated in the study, which included workload measurements, assessment of workplace and individual factors. Thirteen meat cutters were categorised as having non-sustainable and eight as having sustainable work. Results suggest that the workload is higher in beef cutting than in pork cutting, and that longer work experience is related to lower RAS. Other factors contributing to the physical workload are discussed. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Meat-cutting work may exceed recommended physical workload levels. Beef cutting is physically more demanding than pork cutting. Furthermore, factors such as years in the profession, knife sharpness, work pace, wage system, working technique, maximum oxygen uptake level and muscular strength should be considered when planning actions regarding the workload for meat cutters.

Safe meat-handling knowledge, attitudes and practices of private and government meat processing plants' workers: implications for future policy.

INTRODUCTION: Food-borne disease outbreaks remain a major global health challenge and cross-contamination from raw meat due to poor handling is a major cause in developing countries. Adequate knowledge of meat handlers is important in limiting these outbreaks. This study evaluated and compared the safe meat-handling knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of private (PMPP) and government meat processing plants' (GMPP) workers in south-western Nigeria. METHODS: This cross sectional study comprised 190 meat handlers (PMPP = 55; GMPP = 135). Data concerning their safe meat-handling knowledge, attitudes and practices as well as their socio-demographic characteristics, such as age, gender and work experience were collected. RESULTS: A significant association was observed between the type of meat processing plants and their knowledge (p = 0.000), attitudes (p = 0.000) and practices (p = 0.000) of safe meat-handling. Meat handlers in the GMPP were respectively, about 17 times (OR = 0.060, 95% CI: 0.018-0.203), 57 times (OR = 0.019, 95% CI: 0.007-0.054) and 111 times (OR = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.001- 0.067) less likely to obtain good knowledge, attitude and practice level of safe meat-handling than those from PMPP. Further, KAP levels were significantly associated with age group, education and work experience (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: Study findings suggest the need for future policy in food industry in developing countries to accommodate increased involvement of private sector for improved food safety and quality delivery. Public health education on safe food handling and hygiene should be on the front burner among food handlers in general.

Comparison of aerial counts at different sites in beef and sheep abattoirs and the relationship between aerial and beef carcass contamination.

The study examined and compared levels of aerial contamination in commercial beef and sheep plants at four sites, i.e. lairage, hide/fleece pulling, evisceration and chilling. Aerial contamination was determined by impaction and sedimentation onto Plate Count Agar to enumerate Total Viable Counts, MacConkey Agar to enumerate coliforms and Violate Red Bile Glucose Agar to enumerate Enterobacteriaceae. AS I cannot see any difference in the text here - I am not sure what the change is?. The levels of aerial contamination were similar at equivalent sites in beef and sheep plants, irrespective of the sampling method or the type of organisms recovered. Mean log counts recovered on each medium in the chillers were generally significantly lower (P < .05) than the corresponding mean log numbers recovered at the other three sites. The relationship between impaction (air) and sedimentation (surface) counts could be described by the surface to air ratio (SAR) which in this study had an R(2) of 0.77. Further studies in an experimental plant compared counts recovered from the neck of beef carcasses with aerial counts determined by impaction and sedimentation onto agar and irradiated meat pieces. A relationship between counts on beef carcasses and in the air could not be established, irrespective of the method used to compare counts.

The spread of pathogens through trade in pig meat: overview and recent developments.

A number of animal diseases can be transmitted to pigs via meat if the animals are fed scraps of meat imported from infected countries. For this reason, garbage feeding of pigs is regulated in many countries. The major porcine diseases recognised as being significant for this transmission pathway are foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, classical swine fever and swine vesicular disease. The World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code (the Terrestrial Code) offers risk management recommendations for meat from countries where these diseases are present. However, there is no Terrestrial Code chapter on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a relatively new viral disease of pigs which, since its recognition in the 1990s, has become endemic in most pig-producing countries. This paper assesses the risk of spread of PRRS virus through trade in pig meat, and concludes that the likelihood of its transmission by this pathway is negligible.

Zoning and compartmentalisation as risk mitigation measures: an example from poultry production.

This paper discusses the application of compartmentalisation in the Thai commercial poultry industry. The concept was adopted to address Thailand's inability to export fresh poultry meat because of endemic avian influenza. Owing to the nature of compartmentalisation, implementation required a strong partnership between government and the private sector (the Thai poultry exporters). The paper describes the processes implemented to ensure that appropriate risk mitigation measures were in place and to guarantee the continued biosecurity of the compartments. Other Members of the World Organisation for Animal Health may be able to adapt the compartment system used in Thailand to their own similar situations and the formal international recognition of such systems would be beneficial.

History of the Landmark U.S. Ergonomics Guidelines for Meatpacking.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS The 1990 publication of the Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was a milestone in the history of occupational ergonomics and the prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs). This paper provides an overview of the development of these guidelines based on personal experience and perception, with special emphasis of the central role the industry trade association, the American Meat Institute (AMI). Industry-wide efforts were successful in reducing the extremely high rates of WMSDs in the U.S. meatpacking industry. Described here are the specific steps the AMI undertook, which serve as a model for other groups on ways to address shared problems. Insights are also offered on why these OSHA guidelines were accepted by industry and succeeded, while other equivalent standards did not - including to some extent the de facto application of concepts of cognitive ergonomics to government documents. This report addresses specific events in the U.S., but the implications are broader and have potential widespread relevance.

Effects on the microbiological condition of product of decontaminating treatments routinely applied to carcasses at beef packing plants.

Reports on the microbiological effects of decontaminating treatments routinely applied to carcasses at beef packing plants indicate that washing before skinning may reduce the numbers of enteric bacteria transferred from the hide to meat. Washing skinned carcasses and/or dressed sides can reduce the numbers of aerobes and Escherichia coli by about 1 log unit, and pasteurizing sides with steam or hot water can reduce their numbers by > 1 or > 2 log units, respectively. Spraying with 2% lactic acid, 2% acetic acid, or 200 ppm of peroxyacetic acid can reduce the numbers of aerobes and E. coli by about 1 log, but such treatments can be ineffective if solutions are applied in inadequate quantities or to meat surfaces that are wet after washing. Trimming and vacuum cleaning with or without spraying with hot water may be largely ineffective for improving the microbiological conditions of carcasses. When contamination of meat during carcass dressing is well controlled and carcasses are subjected to effective decontaminating treatments, the numbers of E. coli on dressed carcasses can be < 1 CFU/ 1,000 cm2. However, meat can be recontaminated during carcass breaking with E. coli from detritus that persists in fixed and personal equipment. The adoption at all packing plants of the carcass-dressing procedures and decontaminating treatments used at some plants to obtain carcasses that meet a very high microbiological standard should be encouraged, and means for limiting recontamination of product during carcass breaking and for decontaminating trimmings and other beef products should be considered.

Factors influencing workers to follow food safety management systems in meat plants in Ontario, Canada.

Small and medium sized food businesses have been slow to adopt food safety management systems (FSMSs) such as good manufacturing practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This study identifies factors influencing workers in their implementation of food safety practices in small and medium meat processing establishments in Ontario, Canada. A qualitative approach was used to explore in-plant factors that influence the implementation of FSMSs. Thirteen in-depth interviews in five meat plants and two focus group interviews were conducted. These generated 219 pages of verbatim transcripts which were analysed using NVivo 7 software. Main themes identified in the data related to production systems, organisational characteristics and employee characteristics. A socio-psychological model based on the theory of planned behaviour is proposed to describe how these themes and underlying sub-themes relate to FSMS implementation. Addressing the various factors that influence production workers is expected to enhance FSMS implementation and increase food safety.

Real-time in-situ measurement of haemoglobin in wastewater.

The meat processing industry generates large volumes of relatively high load wastewater. In New Zealand and Australia this wastewater is often pre-treated on site and then discharged to environmental waters or municipal sewers. Owing to the limited number of water quality parameters which can be measured in real-time it is often difficult for industry to optimise treatment processes or public bodies to monitor for water-quality compliance. Abattoir wastewater is often observed to be red in colour, owing to the presence of haemoglobin. Measurement of visible light absorption spectra of wastewater grab samples has for some time provided information about blood concentration. However such grab sampling techniques are piecemeal and cannot provide instantaneous time resolved signals which are required for process control or comprehensive monitoring. In this work an in-situ UV/VIS spectrometer is used to continuously determine the concentration of haemoglobin in wastewater arriving for treatment at two different Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). The data is of high temporal resolution- data recorded at the distant WWTPs allows for identification process events, such as the end of shift wash downs.

Monitoring lean meat percentage predictions from optical grading probes by a commercial cutting pattern.

The lean meat percentage (LMP) classification in Norwegian slaughterhouses is obtained by Hennessy Grading Probe 7 (HGP7), an optical tool. Even though the HGP7 method is validated frequently, there is industrial and legislative demand to reconsider the applied LMP equation, typically due to the introduction of new breeds. A deboning pilot plant generates precise yield data using cutting and deboning stratified pork carcasses by a specific commercial cutting pattern (CCP) at an annual rate of approximately 250 slaughter pigs. This paper shows how results obtained by CCP can be used to measure LMP in pork and how these results can be used for monitoring the quality of LMP predicted by HGP7. The effect of gender, maternal- and paternal lines on validity of HGP7 predictions was evaluated. The effect of introducing a new maternal line (TN70) seems to be substantial, whereas the effects of the tested paternal lines are small to negligible.

Tuberculosis in cattle: strategic planning for the future.

In the later stages of eradication of tuberculosis in cattle there is a need to take account of the fact that Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle presents, not as cases of clinical disease but most commonly as apparently healthy animals showing an immunological response to tuberculin. This is an entirely different scenario to that seen when national eradication programmes were first devised, at a time when the protection of public health rather than animal health was the prime motivation. In countries with active programmes to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, it is critical for the programme's success that account is taken of this redefinition of tuberculosis, side by side with changes in modern animal production systems and their impact on the transmission of M. bovis. This paper highlights factors critical to the success of a national eradication programme, including a clear identification of the goals, of the policies that guide actions, and of the sequences of actions that are required within the programme to accomplish these goals. Experience has illustrated the adverse effects of compromise on outcome when the application of fundamental principles of disease control such as sound animal management, removal of known sources of infection, early diagnosis, quarantine, movement control and environmental hygiene are less than enthusiastically promoted and applied. The reality is that where these principles are applied in a sustained manner, the outcome is more likely to be successful. Therein lies the challenge for the risk manager.

[Professional training of meat processing industry workers field of hygienic].

In the article the problem of sanitary training of meat processing industry workers is reviewed. Proposals to improve these activities were prepared.

The relationship between pre-harvest stress and the carcass characteristics of beef heifers that qualified for kosher designation.

Differences in pre-harvest stress measurements and carcass characteristics between kosher and not-qualified-as-kosher cattle were evaluated. Finished heifers (n=157) were slaughtered by a shochet while held in an upright position using Glatt slaughter procedures. Stress measurements were collected prior to slaughter. Carcass data were collected, and 3.8-cm thick samples were taken from the loin at the 13th rib. Steaks from each sample were evaluated for mechanical tenderness and simulated retail display. Cattle with shorter times from gate to exsanguination and lower vocalization scores were more likely (P < 0.01) to qualify as kosher. Kosher carcasses had larger (P = 0.02) ribeye areas and higher (P < 0.0001) Warner-Bratzler shear values. At each day of simulated retail display, kosher steaks had lower (P < 0.05) L*, a*, and b* values. These data suggest that body composition and pre-harvest stress affect the likelihood of a beef animal qualifying as kosher and quality differences exist between kosher and non-kosher steaks.

Improving meat inspection and control in resource-poor communities: the Nepal example.

Meat is an important source of protein and a valuable commodity in resource-poor communities. In many developing countries, lack of appropriate slaughtering facilities and unsatisfactory slaughtering techniques are causing unnecessary losses of meat as well as invaluable by-products from animal carcasses. Slaughtering places are frequently contaminated and may not be protected against dogs, rodents and insects. Meat products coming from such conditions are often deteriorated due to bacterial infection or contaminated, which may cause food poisoning or diseases in consumers. In many developing countries, regulations concerning meat inspection and/or control are inadequate or non-existent allowing consumers to be exposed to pathogens including zoonotic parasites. In Nepal, buffaloes contribute about 64% of the meat consumed, followed by goat meat (20%), pork (7%), poultry (6%) and mutton (2%). Goat and poultry meat is acceptable to all castes of people while buffalo meat is consumed mainly by the Newar ethnic group. Previously, pork was consumed only by people belonging to low castes, however, in recent years, the consumption of pork has increased in higher castes as the caste system has become more relaxed. Until recently, there were no official meat inspection regulations in the country, however, in 1999, the national government legislated an as-yet-to-be implemented Animal Slaughtering and Meat Inspection Act which mandates slaughterhouse construction and meat inspection and control. Due to the lack of implementation of the Meat Inspection Act and resultant absence of meat inspection, meat from sick or parasite-infected animals is serving as a source of infection to humans as well as other animals. In addition, meat quality is adversely affected by careless handling conditions in the slaughtering places as well as in the meat markets or shops. For improvement in animal slaughtering and meat inspection in both rural and urban areas of Nepal, several strategies are to be recommended. Sustainable capacity building should be introduced including training of veterinarians, meat inspectors and butchers as well as building of slaughter facilities. Government policies on slaughter procedures including ante-mortem examination, meat inspection and stamping of meat should be implemented. Programmes should be instituted with strong focus on prevention and control of meat-borne diseases to reduce infection risk of consumers and meat handlers and to avoid contamination of the environment. Lastly, emphasis should be put on improving the animal husbandry system in Nepal. These same actions can be undertaken in other developing countries to assist with improving meat inspection and control, thus helping with prevention and control of cysticercosis as well as other important meat-borne diseases.

Predictive food microbiology for the meat industry: a review.

Predictive food microbiology (PFM) is an emerging multidisciplinary area of food microbiology. It encompasses such disciplines as mathematics, microbiology, engineering and chemistry to develop and apply mathematical models to predict the responses of microorganisms to specified environmental variables. This paper provides a critical review on the development of mathematical modelling with emphasis on modelling techniques, descriptions, classifications and their recent advances. It is concluded that the role and accuracy of predictive food microbiology will increase as understanding of the complex interactions between microorganisms and food becomes clearer. However the reliance of food microbiology on laboratory techniques and skilled personnel to determine process and food safety is still necessary.

Assessment of the adequacy of cleaning of equipment used for breaking beef carcasses.

Enumeration of bacteria on product entering or leaving a beef carcass breaking process showed that the meat was being contaminated with Escherichia coli during the process. The equipment used in the process appeared to be well cleaned, and few bacteria were recovered from meat-contacting surfaces of cleaned equipment. However, careful inspection of the cleaned equipment revealed obscured locations in the equipment which harboured detritus that carried large numbers of aerobic bacteria including E. coli. The findings indicated that when the equipment was operated with wetting of the meat-contacting surfaces, bacteria from the persisting detritus were transferred to the meat-contacting surfaces and the meat. Similar increases in the numbers of E. coli on product as a result of the carcass breaking processes were observed at two of three other plants where the processes were examined. It therefore appears that compliance with current regulatory agency recommendations for conducting and monitoring the cleaning of carcass breaking equipment will not assure the control of hazardous microbiological contamination from carcass breaking equipment. Consequently, it is suggested that the adequacy or otherwise of each cleaning process should be assessed by reference to the mean numbers of suitable indicator organisms on product entering and leaving the production process that employs the cleaned equipment.

A voluntary Salmonella control programme for the broiler industry, implemented by the Danish Poultry Council.

In the light of data and experience gained over the last two decades, initiatives made to combat and control Salmonella in the Danish broiler industry are described and the results obtained so far are discussed. The main elements include evaluation of the establishments, procedures and processes used, including bacteriological assessment, advice and guidance, routine bacteriological monitoring, and also research. Results obtained are used in the control of breeding stock, parent stock, hatcheries, broiler farms, slaughterhouses, feedmills and transport systems.