(L-R: Prof Francis Butler, UCD; Prof Lisa Alban, University of Copenhagen; and Dr Joost Smid University of Utrecht)
How can we optimise meat inspections for Salmonella? Or trace bacteria back along the food chain if an outbreak erupts? And how can we best prevent contamination in raw or fermented artisan food products?
Those were some of the topics discussed at the safefood Salmonella Knowledge Network annual conference in April, which put the focus on supply chain management issues in the meat and dairy industries.
Around 70 delegates from industry, regulatory bodies and research attended the workshop at the DAFM Laboratories in Co Kildare. They discussed issues ranging from the diversity of food products where Salmonella can be a problem – including its emergence in low-moisture foods – to improving methods of tracking and preventing contamination.
Pork is a significant source of Salmonella outbreaks, and Professor Lis Alban from the University of Copenhagen spoke about abattoir inspections of pigs ante- and post-mortem. Dr Joost Smid from the University of Utrecht spoke about work from the EU-funded Biotracer project to detect microbial contamination and model its path back through the food chain.
Artisan and dairy products were also up for discussion, with Dr Lisa O’Connor from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland speaking about raw milk, while Dr Vasco Cadavez from the Polytechnic Institute of Braganza in Portugal highlighted factors that affect the microbial safety of traditional dry fermented sausages.
Food products that lack a critical cooking step pose a particular challenge for food safety management, according to safefood Salmonella Knowledge Network Facilitator Professor Francis Butler, who organised the meeting.
“The reality is pathogens are present and there is a food safety risk associated with these products,” says Francis, who is Head of the School of Biosystems Engineering at University College Dublin. “There is no magic bullet here and the problem won’t be solved by increased testing. We have to think long and hard about a code of practice and the steps that can be put in place.”
Salmonella Network members can see presentations from the conference here.
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