Kyle Rhoden, product manager, Hygiena, focuses on the development and marketing of PCR-based and other rapid microbial detection products. This “five questions” cover the key issues and challenges for detecting and preventing bacterial and other microbial contamination of food processing supply chains.

1. What are the most significant pathogen prevention issues faced by manufacturers and processors?

The biggest problems in food processing result from unpredictable supply line infestation, caused by bacteria introduced through a supplier and perpetuated through insufficient cleaning methods. In addition, regulatory changes, particularly surrounding the assumption of the enduring presence of Listeria monocytogenes, have meant changes to how processing is monitored.

2. What methods are available for prevention, and how do they compare?

Cell culture is the traditional method for determining the presence of bacteria, but can take days to produce results, and requires methodological expertise. Newer techniques such as next-generation sequencing hold a lot of promise due to their accuracy but remain very expensive, and require expert guidance in instrument use as well as data analysis. Immune-based methods have been around for decades but can be hampered by false-positive readings and be difficult to use. PCR instruments are engineered to be easier to use and are accompanied by more accurate assays valuable to a processor.

3. How difficult can it be for a processor to change detection technologies?

Processors would face several challenges when changing to new detection technologies. They will have to ensure that their monitoring will still follow their HACCP plan, making sure critical control points (CCPs) are still under the right scrutiny. This will mean they have to invest in equipment that’s accurate, reliable, and easy to use, but also in personnel with expertise, training, and testing equipment in a new environment. Fortunately, some manufacturers of equipment, including Hygiena, offer free support: training and installation tutorials and real-time help, as well as testing for specific food matrices using the BAX System and related PCR assays.

4. What are better ways to monitor pathogens?

The “best way” will differ between processing facility, depending on type of materials handled, size and volume of facility, and budget and staffing demands. For some, an outside laboratory may be a better option than in-house equipment. For most, a mixture of online and off-site help is optimal. For many customers, a combination of rapid-detection bioluminescent ATP-based monitoring to identify CCP issues in seconds, combined with PCR-based pathogen detection that can provide accurate, “just enough” data in hours, can prove a cost-effective method for pathogen detection and prevention within the complete supply chain.

5. What’s unique about your systems?

The BAX System is affectionately considered the “gold standard” in this industry and is the benchmark against which many other rapid methods are measured. We were the first to provide ground-breaking DNA-based pathogen detection solutions to the food industry more than 20 years ago. For that reason, the BAX System is the most widely adopted and trusted platform. Beyond pathogen detection, Hygiena is the only company focused specifically on helping customers in all industries rapidly determine the overall effectiveness of hygiene control in their facilities and supply chains, from surface residue testing all the way to practical and affordable DNA sequencing. Learn more at Hygiena.com.

1. What is Listeria?

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen known to cause foodborne illnesses. Listeria genus, or Listeria species, contains six species with Listeria monocytogenes as the pathogen. Listeria is found in production facilities of dairy, meat, seafood, poultry, and RTE products. Listeria can grow under refrigerated temperatures with no change in taste, smell, or appearance of the product.

2. What should you do if you find Listeria monocytogenes in your environment?

Celebrate! Your environmental monitoring program has been successful and you now have the opportunity to remove it. By identifying the location where the positive was found, you can assess if you have finished product at risk and withhold it until a final disposition can be made. Vector sample a large area to find the source, investigate for root cause, and mitigate the source. Apply and verify corrective actions to minimize the risk of reoccurrence.

3. How will you control Listeria in your production facility?

Once you have identified Listeria as a foreseeable hazard, you will want to keep it out of your product. Eliminate Listeria through sanitary design of your facility and equipment. Seal cracks, replace damaged equipment, manage traffic flow, use proper PPE, and more. Validation and ongoing verification of the cleaning and sanitation program is essential to controlling and eliminating the presence of Listeria.

4. How can you design a successful environmental monitoring program?

Identify the purpose of the program as it applies to the facility for which it is being designed and the person who has responsibility for each of the program’s elements. This may include quality, production, sanitation, maintenance, and laboratory representatives. Take into account traffic patterns, GMPs, sanitation programs, production schedules, etc. Find a trusted accredited third-party laboratory to analyze your Listeria samples and help troubleshoot issues. An “outside set of eyes” can provide valuable observations when reviewing an environmental monitoring program. Always respond to a presumptive Listeria swab with investigation, vector samples, root cause determination, and corrective action.

5. Who can you contact for more information?

Email: testwithus@cherneymicro.com.

The food and nutrition industry has been trending toward more organic foods for some time, with a particular emphasis on products free of bioengineering. Non-GMO claims have been increasing as brands are becoming more motivated to respond to consumer food preferences. Director of Business Development, Mérieux NutriSciences’ GMO Services, Todd Napolitano, explains.

1. Are there specific GMO trends that are particularly prevalent in the food industry right now?

I think we can all agree that millenials are a major force shaping consumer trends. This generational demand for “more” or “better” is challenging the way the food industry does business, from the shelf down to the supply chain. In particular, the explosion in organic, and other non-GMO products, reflects this burgeoning demand for options that are thought to be healthier.

2. What is the current state of affairs with “organic” and “non-GMO” labeling?

There is a general sense of distrust among younger consumers toward both government and corporations. It’s an issue of quality. The industry is seeing more and more misrepresentation (or flat-out fraud) in products labeled “organic,” “non-GMO,” and so on. We are finding a significant percentage of “verified” organic or non-GMO products that are being tested positive regardless of who is certifying it. So, it’s absolutely imperative to verify the myriad claims out there.

3. Do you think the forthcoming USDA regulations will help prevent mislabeling and fraud?

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard is mostly concerned with technical feasibility. While disclosure is required for many items, there are still multiple paths to exemption. Also, there are no penalties currently stipulated for violation other than an on-site USDA audit, with the results being made available to the public via a dedicated website. Thus, it seems to me that civil litigation will provide a corrective mechanism for validating label claims.

4. What is the best approach to help companies protect themselves and remain compliant?

GMO labeling is not just about sales and marketing, but also about risk mitigation. When a company represents claims passed up through their supply chain, based solely on some set of best practices, it assumes a tremendous amount of risk. I recommend a risk/compliance assessment of a product line vis-à-vis the regs, followed by a quality system based on surveillance and risk mitigation — not just on the plant level but straight down the supply chain.

5. Are there new technologies to meet these new legal requirements?

Yes, so glad you asked! Mérieux NutriSciences’ scientists have been working hard to address these concerns. We have state-of-the-art, DNA-based technology for ensuring authenticity and validating label claims, real-time PCR, next generation sequencing, and our latest capability — Environmental GMO Swabbing. This gives companies deep insight into what’s going on in their facilities. We also are developing programs to verify how you’re managing your GMO and non-GMO containing ingredients/products within your facility.

Reach Todd directly at todd.napolitano@mxns.com.

An effective Employee Hygiene Program is a critical component in the prevention of production zone contamination, and sanitizing shoes and boots before entering “clean zones” is imperative. Even the most stringent hand hygiene and gowning protocols can be completely compromised when there is ineffective footwear hygiene. Meritech President Michele Colbert explains the importance of fully automated systems for hand hygiene and footwear sanitizing to prevent the entry of pathogens into production areas.

1. How can footwear sanitizing practices damage employee hygiene SOPs and create contamination risk?

The reality is that some standard industry practices have been proven to be ineffective and can result in the spread rather than the elimination of pathogens from footwear. For example, manual footwear sanitizing pans, door foamers, dry quat pellets, or pails with brushes for manual scrubbing of shoes are potentially, and in fact usually, ineffective. Any employee hygiene practice that allows for variability or that requires manual intervention will be inconsistent and create contamination risk.

2. What is the key to an effective Footwear Hygiene Program?

The key to effective footwear sanitizing and hygiene is having the ability to validate effectiveness consistently. To be effective, footwear sanitizing needs the appropriate “kill” concentration of sanitizing chemical and the appropriate “contact time” required for the chemical to be effective. Traditional footwear sanitizing options can lead to risks in these areas including variability in chemical concentration over the floor or minimal contact time on each foot. Food production companies need to test and validate both concentration and contact time for footwear process effectiveness.

3. What are some of the questions to ask when evaluating a captive footwear program?

Captive footwear and controlled sanitizing SOPs for captive footwear are clearly on the way to becoming a mandatory food safety requirement in the U.S. There are many factors to evaluate, but the most important is to ensure consistent validation of effective sanitizing SOPs. Additional factors to evaluate are space considerations, traffic flow and zoning, cost, and footwear and tread pattern selection for overall cleanability, comfort, and safety. Our HACCP certified team can help consult on an effective program.

4. What makes Meritech Handwashing and Footwear Sanitizing different and more effective?

All of Meritech’s equipment is fully automated, requiring no manual intervention and eliminating variability. Meritech Handwashing Systems are clinically proven to remove 99.98% of pathogens from hands and seamlessly integrate with fully automated footwear sanitizing pans or boot scrubbers that automatically maintain required PPM levels of sanitizing chemical and increase contact time to eliminate footwear as a vector for the spread of pathogens. We just introduced our newest footwear sanitizing product, the Sole-Clean Dry Step, for use in dry and semi-dry production zones.

5. Why use Meritech as your Employee Hygiene partner?

Our complete line of footwear scrubbing and sanitizing equipment, like our handwashing systems, is manufactured in the U.S. and has an industry best five-year warranty. Our equipment is easy to clean and maintain, and the proper “kill” level of chemical is guaranteed as our machines are professionally calibrated, certified, and supported by our team of Service Engineers. Our team of industry experts is here to support and achieve employee hygiene and food safety excellence.