Microbiological safety and quality aspects in relation to the short food supply chain

Transcription

1 SciCom FASFC Microbiological safety and quality aspects in relation to the short food supply chain Lieve Herman ILVO-T&V Member of Sci Com FASFC Symposium Food Safety of the Short Supply Chain 9 November 2012 Instituut voor landbouw- en visserijonderzoek

2 Microbiological quality parameters results from the FASFC control program The same high quality results are obtained in the short chain and the conventional chain The short chain is actually facing a higher variability between different production plants compared to the conventional chain production

3 Butter E. coli Distribution Primary production (34 analyses) (134 analyses) 5,9% 8,8% 10,4% 7,5% 0,7% <10 kve/g 85,3% <10 kve/g 10-<100 kve/g 100-<1000 kve/g 15,7% 16,4% 49,3% 10-<100 kve/g 100-<1000 kve/g 1000-<10000 kve/g < kve/g > kve/g

4 Butter Staphylococcus coagulase positive Distribution Primary production (33 analyses) (134 analyses) 3,0% 3,0% 94,0% <10 kve/g 10-<100 kve/g 100-<1000 kve/g 6,0% 14,2% 20,1% 5,2% 0,7% 53,8% <10 kve/g 10-<100 kve/g 100-<1000 kve/g 1000-<10000 kve/g < kve/g > kve/g

5 Differences between supply chains Conventional supply chain Processing of multiple primary product suppliers High input from outside Complex processing and distribution scheme Complex relationships within the production chain and with the consumer No direct contact between food processing and animals More specialised employers Short Food supply chain Processing of own agricultural products Low input from outside Direct processing and distribution Direct contact producer and consumer Direct contact between food processing and animals Multiple simultaneous work roles less specialised employers How do we get the same results? GOAL: MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFE FOOD

6 Overview Strengths of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety and quality aspects Control of quality and safety of agricultural products On site processing and distribution of freshly harvested agricultural products Contamination from different microbiological sources may be more limited Food safety culture and informal systems controlling adherence to best practices Weaknesses and threats of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety aspects Remark: Increasing centralization and globalization and facing emerging problems Increased potential for cross contamination in case of combined or neighbouring activities: animal and crop production or primary production and further processing Lack of food safety knowledge High relative costs for microbial testing to comply to microbial criteria or for baseline date on microbial safety Opportunities and Challenges

7 Strengths of the short chain - Limited contamination from different sources Animal/crop production Animal/crop production Animal/crop production Distribution Animal/crop production Slaughter/ harvest Primary processing Distribution Food Service Distribution Secondary processing Consumer Retail

8 Control of quality and safety of agricultural products Contamination from limited amount of production units leads to better control of microbiological quality and safety FARM 1/(pathogen(s)1) FARM 2/(pathogen(s)2) FARM 3/(pathogen(s)3) Etc animals animals animals manure primary product manure primary product manure primary product environment/farmer environment/farmer environment/farmer (pathogen(s)1) (pathogen(s)2) (pathogen(s)3) Etc Conventional Food Processing plant (pathogen(s)3) Short chain/ processing

9 Example: psychrotrophic bacteria in raw milk Simulation of cold chain of raw milk from the farm till the dairy plant (De Jonghe et al., 2011): Growth of psychotrophic Pseudomonas spp. Analysed by DGGE Diversity of Pseudomonas at the end of the cold chain: raw milk from one farm < raw milk from more farms 5 DGGE bands versus 9 DGGE bands Most bands identified as Pseudomonas spp., circled bands as Acinetobacter spp. Possible effects for shelf life and milk quality 1 farm 8 farms 9

10 Control of primary product quality and safety zoonotic pathogens Control on farm can be based on: Knowledge of animal disease status and carriage of zoonotic pathogens Strict implementation of best practices and hygiene rules during cultivation, harvest, processing

11 Strengths of the short chain On site processing and distribution of freshly harvested agricultural products Short period between harvest primary products and processing/distribution to consumer is generally beneficial for microbiological quality

12 Growth of S. Enteritidis in eggs = 22 C = 10 C = 4 C

13 Strengths of the short chain Food safety culture and informal systems controlling on adherence to best practices Possibility of inherent good food safety culture Short food supply chain is responding to consumer demand for quality products Producers and consumers short food supply chain concerned on values as taste, nutrition, freshness and in generally quality, intrinsically also safe food Adherence to good practices and hygiene is very much influenced by human behavior and commitment Food safety culture may lead to adherence to good practices resulting in high quality foods with reduced risk without formal procedures

14 Overview Strengths of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety and quality aspects Control of quality and safety of agricultural products On site processing and distribution of freshly harvested agricultural products Contamination from different microbiological sources may be more limited Food safety culture and informal systems controlling adherence to best practices Weaknesses and threats of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety aspects Remark: Increasing centralization and globalization and facing emerging problems Increased potential for cross contamination in case of combined or neighbouring activities: animal and crop production or primary production and further processing Lack of food safety knowledge High relative costs for microbial testing to comply to microbial criteria or for baseline date on microbial safety Opportunities and Challenges

15 Remark: also for the short chain: increasing globalization and emerging food safety problems Also in the short chain globalization is introduced Also in short chain import of Feed and fertilizers (e.g. introduction of rare Salmonella serotypes) Seeds (e.g; pathogenic E. coli introduced in on farm sprout production

16 Centralization with slaughterhouse as bottle neck Animals are slaughtered in central slaughterhouse, making also short chain meat production vulnerable to multiple contaminations Most producers try to limit this break in the short chain Limiting transport time to slaughterhouse Meat processing at the own processing plant Small scale slaughterhouses, some of them set up as cooperative initiatives Mobile slaughterhouse for on farm slaughtering in US

17 Contamination pig carcasses - multiple sources

18 Weaknesses of the short chain Increased potential for cross contamination in case of combined activities Animal and crop production; primary production, processing and distribution of end products on same site leads to increased risk of cross contamination of end products with zoonotic pathogens Production site short chain Animal production Processing unit People/material Distribution to consumer Belgian outbreak in october 2007 of E. coli O145 and O26 due to farm produced ice cream in 2008 O26 strain found in stool patients, ice cream and environment calf stable O145 strain found in stool patient, ice cream, hay, dust of the barn, faeces of calf

19 Increased potential for cross contamination from animals to fresh plant produce by contaminated irrigation and processing water Large E. coli O175 outbreak in Sweden with locally produced lettuce in 2005 due to contamination of irrigation water from a cattle farm located upstream from the irrigation point (Söderstroöm et al., 2008) Campylobacter contamination of fresh peas after shelding processed peas contaminated probably due to contaminated processing water (Gardner et al., 2011)

20 Weaknesses of the short chain limited food safety knowledge Whole production chain managed by same person or same team Broad range of tasks by same person Less opportunity for task specialisation Example: Food safety challenges at farmers markets are illustrating need for adequate food safety knowledge 25% of food market vendors were unable to correctly assess the risks with their wares (Worsfold et al., 2004)

21 Weaknesses of the short chain High relative cost for microbial testing Some microbiological analyses are necessary for ensuring food safety zoonotic pathogens for animal production end product microbiological quality Example: microbiological criterium Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat food products (e.g. cheese, butter, processed meat products, etc.) (SciCom Advice , EU-guidance documents) NO Absent in 25 g Is growht possible for L. monocytogenes? YES Is this growht limited? YES Tolerance value on day 0 and 100 cfu/g on TGT NO 100 cfu/g Also for products with holding time < 5 days Exception: food for infants and for medical usage absence in 25 g

22 Overview Strengths of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety and quality aspects Control of quality and safety of agricultural products On site processing and distribution of freshly harvested agricultural products Contamination from different microbiological sources may be more limited Food safety culture and informal systems controlling adherence to best practices Weaknesses and threats of the short food supply chain in relation to microbiological safety aspects Remark: Increasing centralization and globalization and facing emerging problems Increased potential for cross contamination in case of combined or neighbouring activities: animal and crop production or primary production and further processing Lack of food safety knowledge High relative costs for microbial testing to comply to microbial criteria or for baseline date on microbial safety Opportunities and Challenges

23 Challenges and opportunities of the short chain New co-operational processing initiatives Greater production scale due to co-processing of products of several primary producers Multiple contaminaton sources become possible leading to more complex HACCP system New marketing formats Specific precautions necessary to guarantee microbiological safety in relation to these new formats Web shopping Use of automats e.g. for raw milk distribution SciCom Advice stressed the importance to provide consumer information on the microbiological risks related to the consumption of raw milk, especially for vulnerable groups Specific requirements elaborated by FASFC on temperature and holding time of raw milk in automate

24 Challenges and opportunities of the short chain Food product quality as taste and nutritional value could be improved due to less intensive processed food products Due to shortening time between primary production and distribution Due to better control of microbiological quality primary products Examples Less intensively processed fruit juices with adequate microbiological quality and improved conservation of vitamins, anti-oxidants and phenolic components.

25 Summary Microbiological safety aspects of the short chain Short food supply chain has specific characteristics related to microbiological safety Some characteristics may lead to a reduced microbiological risk for the consumers and the society (the strengths) with an improved control of pathogenic agents and an improved microbiological quality: Processing only own primary produced products Low input from outside Direct processing and distribution Food safety culture

26 Summary Microbiological safety aspects of the short chain Some characteristics lead to an increased microbiological risk for the consumer (weaknesses) Direct contact between food processing and animals leading to increased risk for post contamination Management of a broad range of activities leading to less elaborated HACCP system The short chain is facing some challenges in relation to microbiological food safety and quality new marketing formats as web shopping and automates Co-operational processing by several primary producers The short chain is facing several opportunities to combine food quality characteristics as taste, freshness and nutritional value with adequate microbiological quality

27 Conclusion Microbiological safety aspects of the short chain Very few microbiological data available on short chain production Data of FASFC control program indicate greater variability in microbiological quality Conclusion: Extra attention has to be given to the topic of microbiolgical safety and quality in short chain production Extended guidance to increase the knowledge Attention for adaptation of autocontrol system by FASFC Adaptation based on scientific data extension of research

28 Thanks to Scientific Committee FASFC With special thanks to Marc Heyndrickx, Koen De Reu, Els Van Coillie (ILVO) Mieke Uyttendaele (UGent, SciCom FASFC) Dirk Berkvens (ITG, SciCom FASFC) Claire Verraes, Xavier Van Huffel (DirRisk FASFC) Instituut voor Landbouw- en Visserijonderzoek Eenheid Technologie & Voeding Beleidsdomein Landbouw en Visserij