What does the term “food security” mean to you? What do you think it means to the average U.S. consumer?

Although most quality assurance and food safety managers (now) understand its meaning and the difference between food security and food defense, the two phrases are often used interchangeably by the general population. In fact, even we in the U.S. food industry, termed many of our food defense programs that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001 as “food security.” Additionally, as recently as 2007, FDA itself, issued the guidance document, “Food Producers, Processors, and Transporters: Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance.” So what is the difference?

• In 1996, the World Food Summit defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.”
• Food defense, on the other hand, is defined by USDA as “the protection of food products from intentional adulteration by biological, chemical, physical, or radiological agents.”
   

With the terms defined, you may wonder how food “security” applies to you—or any U.S. food manufacturer.

One simply needs to know the 2050 projections to understand. That is: With the world’s population expected to reach more than 9.6 billion people by the year 2050, there is grave question as to whether we will be able to feed the world based on today’s methods of food production and resource consumption.

Why is it an issue? Food security is a complex problem due to interconnections and interdepencies of the global food system, notes the Cargill Fact Sheet, “Food Security: The Challenge.” While the earth’s food system produces enough to meet everyone’s nutritional needs, access to that food is uneven. Obstacles to food security also include production shortfalls, supply disruptions, food waste, government policies that inhibit trade and affect farmers, growth in nonfood use of crops, agriculture’s impact on the environment, resistance to agriculture technology, and price volatility.

As explained in “How to Feed the World in 2050,” from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “Hunger can persist in the midst of adequate aggregate supplies because of lacking income opportunities for the poor and the absence of effective social safety nets.” While it is a fact that 63% of the Earth’s undernourished population lives in Asia Pacific, such insecurity impacts the world.

There is also a fact of food safety in food security. Few things have the impact on the sustenance and quality of life as the ready availability of nutritious, safe food, said Paul Young, senior director, food & environment business operations, Waters Corp. “It is now generally accepted that an accurate definition of food security encompasses much more than simply availability,” he explained, adding, “Any country can only truly claim to be ‘food secure’ if it has a ready availability of affordable, safe, and nutritious food.” Even when the food supply is abundant, if it is contaminated, it can contribute to the overall disease burden in the country.
 

What are the solutions?

The introduction of a second Cargill Fact Sheet, “Food Security Solutions” perhaps says it all: “Cargill believes critical responses to food security challenges around the world include honoring comparative advantage by growing crops well suited to local conditions, enabling open markets, supporting smallholder farmers, fostering cooperation between the public and private sectors, encouraging investment, harmonizing food safety standards and reforming biofuels mandates. While focusing on long-term solutions is crucial for achieving food security, providing aid during emergency food shortages is critical as well.” Thus, we can’t take a position of isolation, simply ensuring that our own nation is fed.

Retailers and Suppliers. “Few people disagree that improving the safety of the food supply is not a small task and is not one that can be achieved without the collaboration of all the relevant stakeholders,” Young said. Ultimately, however, it is the food retailers who “carry the can,” he said. “Either they can ‘own’ the entire supply chain (which is difficult given the global distribution of production combined with the complexity of food ingredients), or they adopt a collaborative approach to working with suppliers and knowledge sharing all the way back to primary producers.”

Suppliers also have a critical role, not only in ensuring the safety of the food they produce but in helping ensure the safety and security of the world’s food, he said. “By working directly with small producers (rather than excluding them from the supply chain), food companies have an opportunity to educate primary producers, improve the quality of products generally available, and create alternative sources of raw ingredients.”

Three prerequisites. FAO lists three prerequisites for global food security:

1. Investing in sustainable agricultural production capacity and rural development, with targeted, deliberate action in comprehensive social services, including food assistance, health and sanitation, and education and training.
2. Promoting technology change and productivity growth.
3. Supporting trade, markets, and farmers. Many countries depend on international trade for their food security, so we need to move toward a global system that is fair, competitive, and contributes to a dependable market for food. Countries also need to prepare for shocks to the global system, including price spikes or localized disasters, through coordinated action and joint finance to assist those who are affected.
    

Date Labeling. More than one third of the food produced today is lost or wasted. One part of this, for which the food industry could contribute a solution, is that of the clarification and improvement of date labeling of foods. According to Bob Brackett, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Health at the Illinois Institute of Technology and IFT spokesperson, confusion over date labeling leads to billions of pounds of food waste every year. This includes:

• 25% of people discard food based on its sell-by date.
• 37% do so past the use-by date.
• 10% believe eating food past its best-by date is a serious health risk.
   

Increased Production. According to a presentation by FAO Assistant Director-General Hiroyuki Konuma on the status and outlook on food security, the world’s food production will need to increase by 60% (or 77% in developing countries if we were to expect them to bear the entire burden) to feed the world in 2050. Can we do it? “In principle, we have to, but the majority of it (90%) has to come from existing arable land through agricultural research and yield increase.” By increasing production, we can also decrease water use—of which current agriculture use accounts for 70%. Measures that could be taken to minimize the risk, according to Konuma, include:

• Production/Research. Not only do we need to share with developing countries, but also intensify sustainable agriculture and help advance agricultural research and technology.
• Trade. Establish more free trade agreements, long-term forward contracts, and food security partnerships; diversify trade sources; and establish emergency food reserves.
• Consumption. Provide nutrition education and promote diversified, healthy, sustainable consumption; reduce food losses and waste; and create awareness and advocate the importance of food and agriculture.

A Four-Step Approach. FutureFood 2050 recommend a four-step approach for industry:

1. Collaborate to develop a simple workable solution to address the challenges faced by food manufacturers, retailers, government officials, consumers, and other stakeholders.
2. Align to develop a more consistent date-marking system.
3. Provide clear and simple consumer direction on food quality and safety.
4. Conduct more research to evaluate and develop other indicator technologies related to food quality and safety.
    

“It has already been proven that mankind can rise to the challenge of increasing food output,” Young said. With available arable land diminishing in many parts of the world, there remain large tracts in places such as sub-Saharan Africa. “This time around an opportunity exists to learn from past experiences and bring about the production increases in a way that is more environmentally friendly and, most importantly, do so in a way that the producers of this new food have access to world markets to offer the added benefit of alleviation of poverty for the rural poor.”

If the world is unable to meet the production target of 2050 and there is a food shortage, we face a number of potential risks, Konuma noted. These include:

• Export ban by food-exporting countries to protect their own consumers.
• Uncertainty in securing food import.
• Food price hikes.
• Impacts on poor consumers.
• Social unrest, political instability…
   

According to the FAO, the world has the resources and technology to eradicate hunger and ensure long-term food security, but we need to mobilize political will and build the necessary institutions to ensure that investment decisions and hunger-eradication policies are made and effectively implemented.

The author is Editor of QA magazine. She can be reached at llupo@gie.net.

Shellfish, produce and ready-to-eat foods are those most commonly associated with human norovirus outbreaks. But, according to a final draft/pre-decisional document report of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods’ (NACMCF), there are inadequate data with which to identify the point(s) in the supply chain responsible for contamination, and its risk is more a factor of the practices used in production, handling, and distribution than an inherent property of a food.

The committee had been asked to assess the incidence and public health burden of human norovirus infection and the importance of food as a source of attribution; to provide advice on strategies to reduce, inactivate, and/or eliminate it in foods, on surfaces, and in the environment; to evaluate current methods of detection; and to determine the data needed for a quantitative risk assessment. With some findings, questions, and recommendations posted in the November 2014 draft report, Control Strategies for Reducing Foodborne Norovirus Infections (http://1.usa.gov/1K4E8Jq), the epidemiological evidence is seen as indicating that human norovirus infection is both common and difficult to control.

It is because of such aspects that the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) Norovirus Collaborative for Outreach, Research, and Education (NoroCORE) was formed in 2011 with North Carolina State University (NCSU) serving as the lead institution, and Lee-Ann Jaykus of NCSU as the lead investigator and scientific director for the project. The food safety initiative is funded by a five-year, $25 million Coordinated Agricultural Project grant from USDA-NIFA. With six core objectives—research, detection, epidemiology and risk assessment, preventive controls, extension and outreach, and capacity building—NoroCORE’s ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of foodborne disease associated with viruses, particularly noroviruses. The $25 million grant is unprecedented because foodborne viruses have never gotten that much attention, Jaykus said.
 

Transmission.

According to the World Health Organization, norovirus is one of the top three foodborne enteric disease agents responsible for the most deaths. In order, they are: Salmonella Typhi (52,000) enteropathogenic E. coli (37,000), then norovirus (35,000). Food can be contaminated with norovirus when infected people who have stool or vomit on their hands touch the food, food is placed on contaminated surfaces, drops of vomit land on food or surfaces, or an uninfected person touches a contaminated surface (such as a doorknob or light switch) then touches food or a food-contact surface.

Although foods are most often contaminated at preparation or service, norovirus may be introduced further up the food chain, such as in production, harvest, or processing, with differing levels of risk. For example, leafy greens that are mechanically harvested and packaged without further human contact would pose less risk than leafy greens that are handled numerous times between harvest and consumption.

Additionally, contaminated surfaces can play a role in both direct and indirect transmission of viruses. Norovirus has been shown to persist on stainless steel for more than six weeks, with greater persistence at cold temperatures.

The most common way that food becomes contaminated in the manufacturing plant is when a worker who is not feeling well handles food, said California Department of Public Health Research Scientist Michael Zwick. If the food is cooked after handling, it is not as likely to be an issue, but in plants that produce deli salads, mixed greens, hand-decorated baked goods, etc., such contamination is a definite risk.

A significant issue with norovirus is that a person can shed the virus before symptoms show and up to three weeks after, Zwick explained. So if that person is not practicing good hygiene, the food can be contaminated. Additionally, the low infectious dose and hardy nature of the virus particles mean even a single particle landing on a food-contact surface can survive and contaminate food.

“Microscopic amounts on hands and surfaces can result in numerous cases of illness,” Jaykus said.
 

Detection.

The current methods for detection of norovirus have significant limitations. “Testing is difficult because the virus cannot be cultivated outside the host [the human body], nor can a distinction be made between infectious and non-infectious particles,” said Clint Stevenson, assistant professor and distance education coordinator, NCSU Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences.

“In vitro [lab] methods do not yet exist, so this leaves us with in vivo [in a living organism] studies for detecting infectious norovirus particles,” he said. PCR can identify the presence of norovirus RNA, but this may or may not indicate the presence of infectious norovirus, he said. Detection also is difficult because, like the flu, there are different variants and the virus can change and mutate.

Historically, there have been three primary food classes associated with the virus, Jaykus said, molluscan shellfish, which can be exposed in their pre-harvest production phase by human contamination of the water; fresh produce, specifically those which contact the ground, come in contact with human fecal matter or contaminated wash water, or are contaminated by the hands of a picker; and ready-to-eat foods which are highly handled by humans and have no terminal heating step.
 

Elimination.

“Viruses are very, very, very resistant to a lot of sanitizers,” Jaykus said. Norovirus is resistant to quaternary and alcohol formulas, which is one reason that alcohol-based hand sanitizers cannot be relied on as the sole method for inactivating the virus. Additionally, she said, viruses can persist for long periods on surfaces and in foods. “They don’t grow, but they don’t go inactive; and they are not readily impacted by processing or common inactivation strategies in processing or foodservice,” such as preservatives, water activity, and freezing, she said. “In some ways it breaks all the rules.”

High heat can kill the virus, but the time and temperature for kill is not known, Jaykus said. While CDC states that the virus can survive temperatures as high as 140°F, New Zealand government publications say the internal temperature of a food must reach 90°C (194°F) for 90 seconds to kill the virus. “It seems to be more heat stable than was originally thought,” she said. Because of this, “excluding ill food handlers for 48 to 72 hours after symptoms subside is the best way to prevent contamination.” Then, strict hand hygiene is essential while they are still shedding.

For food-contact surfaces, the most effective cleaner is one of the most basic. That is, Zwick said, “A 10% bleach solution is a very powerful method.”
 

Prevention.

“Since norovirus contamination always originates at an infected person, several basic employee hygiene principles are the best approach to preventing and controlling norovirus,” Stevenson said. Toilet facilities should be regularly cleaned and disinfected, and plants should have plans for managing vomiting incidents. Policies for ill employees returning to work must be effective, and employees must wash their hands frequently enough to prevent cross contamination, he said.

With its extensive resistance to common detection, elimination, and prevention strategies, “your best control is handwashing and exclusion of ill workers,” Jaykus said. “Norovirus is a near-perfect pathogen. The only lack is that it doesn’t grow.”

The author is Editor of QA magazine. She can be reached at llupo@gie.net.

1. What is the most important thing to understand about a pest for effective control?

c. Its biology and behavior. Today’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a science-based program that relies on the understanding of a pest’s biology and behavior, with the expectation that professionals will use many tools to manage a pest issue. Pests have varying food preferences and habitats; differing life cycles, feeding stages, and adult lifespans; and dissimilar temperature thresholds and abilities for flight and package penetration. All are important in selecting the best method of control, and in reducing conducive conditions by which the insects live and breed. As with many aspects of food safety, most important for prevention and control is understanding the risk: the pests that are most likely to infest your product and facility, the most destructive life stages and means of entry, and the most effective methods of prevention and control.

[IPM in Food Plants (Nov/Dec 2014) and Stored Product Pest Control/Knowing the Pest is Half the Battle (Nov/Dec 2013)]

2. What is the primary source of German cockroaches in a food plant?

a. Hitchhiking in on employees or their belongings. Although it may come as a surprise to those who focus their pest management efforts on the dock and incoming goods, the vast majority German cockroaches that are found in food plants can be traced back to employees and their belongings. While supplies and ingredient deliveries are a risk and are the secondary cause of German cockroach infestations, the first line of defense needs to be at employee locker rooms, break rooms, and any other areas in which belongings are brought or stored. However, other areas should not be neglected, rather all areas should be inspected for and cleared of cockroach attractants, such as leaky pipes in the restroom, unsanitary trash or recycling bins and areas, and general clutter and debris. Additionally, because the secondary entry point is with incoming goods, it is critical to check all deliveries and monitor and maintain dock and warehouse areas.

[The Rise and Fall of German Cockroaches — Employees Bring Resurgence (Mar/Apr 2013)]

3. Which pest most frequently causes food facility shutdown by a government agency?

b. Rodents. A rodent infestation can easily result in company disgrace, loss of business, termination of blamed employees as well as managers, huge penalties, and even going out of business. To prevent these, it is critically important for every food manufacturer to have a rodent program that not only controls, but prevents rodents—particularly with FSMA’s new key focus on preventive controls. At the same time, however, EPA has enacted a number of rodenticide risk mitigation measures, such as limiting rodenticide placement around buildings, which have created some challenges in rodent management—and make preventive controls even more critical. Preventive practices should include: making the property inhospitable to rodents; limiting or eliminating rodent access through rodenticides, snap traps, or other equipment or practices on the property; inspecting for and filling structural gaps and holes; spot-checking deliveries for evidence of rodent presence; tracking and trending rodent incursion to help narrow down potential entry points and methods and enable effective corrective action.

[Limiting and Eliminating Rodent Presence and Access (Sept/Oct 2013)]

4. Why are occasional invaders, such as centipedes and ground beetles that come in from the outdoors, of concern even if they are not seen in the food processing area?

c. They are a sign that there is an entry point through which other pests may enter. Occasional invaders are pests, primarily insects, that live outdoors but will venture into structures in search of food, water, or shelter. They are not normally considered to be structural pests because they do not breed indoors. But any pest that gets into a facility demonstrates a lack of structural integrity or a cultural issue—such as employees propping doors open. Either way, the opening means that other pests can get in as well. Thus, occasional invaders are a warning signal that if they can get into your building, so, too, can higher-risk pests. And, no matter what the pest is, if it gets into the processing area or into the product itself, it will be considered a contaminant or adulterant. 

[Occasional Invaders: The Canary in the Coal Mine (Jul/Aug 2014)]

5. What is the optimum height at which to place an insect light trap to intercept flies?

c. From two to five feet above the floor. ILTs can help provide control of a number of flying insects that can carry and spread bacteria and disease. To intercept flies before they can reach a food area, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommends that ILTs be placed two to five feet from the floor. FDA GMPs state that UV light traps can be used in certain areas, as long as they are designed and placed to prevent further contamination from the tray that collects the insect remains. Best practice is to place ILTs on inside walls next to exterior doorways or loading-dock doors (making sure the ILT lights do not attract flying insects from outside) and on outside walls of production areas about five feet from doors. Don’t overlook areas where items are brought inside the facility—such as cafeterias, break rooms, and office areas. ILTs also can be beneficial in monitoring and controlling flying insects in areas used to receive and store raw materials.

[Flying Insect Control with ILTs (Mar/Apr 2012)]

6. What should you be able to expect from your pest control provider?

b. Knowledge of your plant equipment, process flow, and practices. Whether your pest management technician is in-house or contracted, he or she must be knowledgeable about your prerequisite programs or GMPs, approved product lists, and sanitation programs. The technician also should be aware of new pest control products and application techniques; be licensed and/or certified as required by your state; know of and understand all applicable local, state, and federal regulations (including those in FSMA); and help keep the facility aligned with pest-related audit requirements.

In short—your in-house or contracted pest management technician should be an integral part of your sanitation team, seeking to prevent pest infestations and promptly taking action if any pest issue should arise.

[Ten Commandments for Quality Pest Management (Mar/Apr 2008)]

7. In the new FSMA rules, due to be issued this fall, pest control is considered a preventive control, so must be included in the written Food Safety Plan.

a. True. With the implementation of FSMA (as proposed), food facilities will be required to implement a written preventive controls plan. This involves: evaluating the hazards that could affect food safety; specifying the preventive steps, or controls, to be put in place to minimize or prevent the hazards; specifying how the facility will monitor these controls to ensure they are working; maintaining routine records of the monitoring; and specifying what actions the facility will take to correct problems that arise. With pests considered to be hazards and pest control listed as a subpart of sanitary operations, interpretation of the law signifies that preventive pest controls will need to be a part of the written food safety plan.

[www.FDA.gov, Preventive Standards]

8. Effective pest-prevention practices can make pesticide application unnecessary.

a. True. If you implement an effective pest prevention program, the opportunity for pests to come into the protected environment is greatly reduced. So, with the key word being “effective,” once you’ve taken away the opportunity, there should be little reason for pesticide application. The difference between control and prevention of pests is similar to that of any potential food contaminant. Control means there is a problem and a solution needs to be found to fix it, while prevention means you are taking steps to keep a problem from happening.

[10 Proactive Steps to Prevent Pests (Jan/Feb 2012)]

9. By hiring a pest control service provider, you relieve yourself of any responsibility for pest control.

b. False. Pest management needs to be a partnership between the technician and the plant. That said, new food safety standards and FSMA have clearly stated that the food facility is ultimately responsible for an effective pest management program. Even when pest management services are outsourced, it is the legal obligation of the facility’s management to ensure the program effectively prevents food adulteration. To fulfill this responsibility and implement preventive controls, plant personnel and the pest control provider need to work together to cultivate a proactive program. Each should have their own specific roles and responsibilities that come together to create a collaborative relationship. While contracting with a third party can transfer the bulk of pest management responsibilities from internal personnel to an outside professional, it does not relieve the plant of responsibility. In fact, it is the development of the strong partnership that enables accomplishment of best practices for a pest-free environment.

[Best Practices in Pest Management (Jan/Feb 2008) and Insect Management (Book Review) (Jan/Feb 2007)]

The author is Editor of QA magazine. She can be reached at llupo@gie.net.

Pest management has always been a critical aspect of food safety, but with increasing regulation, customer requirements, and consumer advocacy, implementing pest management as a preventive control is becoming more of a mandate than simply a best practice. To find out how much you know about pest management, try your hand at this quiz.  Scoring and answers are here.
 

Select the best answer for each of the following questions on pest management service.

1. What is the most important thing to understand about a pest for effective control?

a. Its color

b. Its scientific name

c. Its biology and behavior
 

2. What is the primary source of German cockroaches in a food plant?

a. Hitchhiking in on employees or their belongings

b. Harboring in delivered supplies

c. Crawling in from outdoors

3. Which pest most frequently causes food facility shutdown by a government agency?

a. Cockroaches

b. Rodents

c. Flies
 

4. Why are occasional invaders that come in from the outdoors (e.g., centipedes, ground beetles) of concern, even if they are not seen in the food processing area?

a. They will breed inside the facility

b. They will scare workers

c. They are a sign that there is an entry point through which other pests may enter
 

5. What is the optimum height at which to place an insect light trap to intercept flies?

a. Less than two feet above the floor

b. More than five feet above the floor

c. From two to five feet above the floor
 

6. What should you be able to expect from your pest control provider?

a. Complete eradication of all pests from your property

b. Knowledge of your plant equipment, process flow, and practices

c. Conducting of corrective action on any structural or sanitation issues
 

7. In the new FSMA rules, due to be issued this year, pest control is considered a preventive control, so must be included in the written Food Safety Plan.

a. True

b. False
 

8. Effective pest-prevention practices can make pesticide application unnecessary.

a. True

b. False
 

9. By hiring a pest control service provider, you relieve yourself of any responsibility for pest control.

a. True

b. False

Watch for the Pest Management Service Guide in QA’s July/August issue.