Listeria control in consumer protein products

Most cases of Listeria occur at the deli counter rather than at the manufacturer, yet most sanitary guidelines are geared towards plants.

At this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Annual Conference and Food Expo, experts from the US government, academia and food industry discussed how to minimise Listeria in facilities that process consumer protein products. Some 80% of Listeria-related deaths occurred in people who bought sliced meat at a deli counter rather than packaged meat.

Janell Kause, director of the Office of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), said: “Based on the data, they have found that about 80% of deaths related to deli meats are those packaged at the retail level. If the problem is unsanitary conditions at processors, we need to figure out how we’re going to address that.”

Most establishments have at least some presence of Listeria, whether it’s in a floor drain or on a meat slicer — the organism is almost impossible to eradicate entirely. However, manufacturing plants are specifically designed to eliminate pathogens, but retail establishments are not.

One area of concern should be the deli’s drainage system. Most retailers don’t clean their drains properly, and part of the problem is that workers either don’t know better or simply won’t do better.

The USDA is working to develop better data for the industry, but until then, retailers have to decide for themselves how often and what methods to use to sanitise their facilities.