Listeria Web Seminar
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen and is most often transmitted through ready-to-eat (RTE) foods products contaminated with this pathogen. People at most risk for illness and infection due to this pathogen are young, elderly and those will weakened immune systems such as the immuno-compromised. Typical symptoms of this illness include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Symptoms in infected pregnant women are generally mild and include flu-like illness. However, infections during pregnancy may result in miscarriage, premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth. Severely infected adults may develop meningitis or other severe complications.
The current USDA-FSIS policies require that the RTE meat and poultry products be free of the pathogen and any product that contains the pathogen is deemed adulterated. Further, the USDA-FSIS requires processors to control L. monocytogenes in the RTE processing environment and the product.
The RTE meat and poultry processors can control L. monocytogenes by using (i) a post-lethality treatment and an antimicrobial agent or process (Alternative 1); (ii) use either a post-lethality treatment or an antimicrobial agent or process (Alternative 2) or (iii) control L. monocytogenes in the post-lethality processing environment through sanitation procedures only (Alternative 3).
Contamination of RTE products can occur subsequent to the cooking step, such as during slicing and packaging. The organism can grow to large numbers during refrigerated storage, such as during transportation and in the consumer refrigerator. The foods contaminated with the pathogen may appear normal with no signs of smell or spoilage. Thus, there is a need for RTE meat and poultry processors to minimize the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of the cooked, RTE products by reducing or eliminating the “niches” for the organism in the environment, by incorporating antimicrobial agents in the products to prevent its’ growth and interventions to kill the pathogen prior or subsequent to packaging. Minimizing the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of the product requires a comprehensive and coherent management strategy by the processors.
The following web-seminars are designed to educate and provide information for small and very small RTE processors on a variety of topics related to control of the pathogen in the RTE meat and poultry processing environment as well as the product.
These web-seminars and associated research are funded through the grant "Understanding and controlling Listeria monocytogenes transmission through ready-to-eat meat products from processing plants to consumer." by the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The RTE meat and poultry processors can control L. monocytogenes by using (i) a post-lethality treatment and an antimicrobial agent or process (Alternative 1); (ii) use either a post-lethality treatment or an antimicrobial agent or process (Alternative 2) or (iii) control L. monocytogenes in the post-lethality processing environment through sanitation procedures only (Alternative 3).
Contamination of RTE products can occur subsequent to the cooking step, such as during slicing and packaging. The organism can grow to large numbers during refrigerated storage, such as during transportation and in the consumer refrigerator. The foods contaminated with the pathogen may appear normal with no signs of smell or spoilage. Thus, there is a need for RTE meat and poultry processors to minimize the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of the cooked, RTE products by reducing or eliminating the “niches” for the organism in the environment, by incorporating antimicrobial agents in the products to prevent its’ growth and interventions to kill the pathogen prior or subsequent to packaging. Minimizing the risk of L. monocytogenes contamination of the product requires a comprehensive and coherent management strategy by the processors.
The following web-seminars are designed to educate and provide information for small and very small RTE processors on a variety of topics related to control of the pathogen in the RTE meat and poultry processing environment as well as the product.
These web-seminars and associated research are funded through the grant "Understanding and controlling Listeria monocytogenes transmission through ready-to-eat meat products from processing plants to consumer." by the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
We hope these web seminars will provide you some useful information on the background on the pathogen L. monocytogenes and control measures to minimize the risk of this pathogen from RTE meat and poultry products.
If you have any comments or need additional information, please contact
Harshavardhan Thippareddi, Ph. D.
Associate Professor in Food Science and Technology
Extension Food Safety Specialist
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583
For a list of the topics, links to view previous web seminar talks, and speaker information, please click here.
To receive notification of the future talks and the materials, please click here.
For the fall schedule click here.
