Dairy Field: Food safety update

The national spotlight is on food safety. As consumers find new ways to access information and the media increases food safety issue coverage, the nation's food processors are under pressure to reduce foodborne illnesses.

Increased efforts toward ensuring food safety are backed by President Bill Clinton though his President's Food Safety Initiative. "The President's goal is to reduce the incidents of foodborne illness from the farm to the table," says Cary Frye, vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C.

A recent industry presentation by Frye offered an overview of the status of food safety practices in the United States. Frye notes: "There is a great deal of awareness related to consumers and food safety, which I think is the reason there is more activity in the government."

Regulatory Roulette

Federal food safety funding has been increased by $101 million to the United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Drug Administration's department of Health and Human Services.

Meanwhile, the latest idea in Washington, D.C., could streamline the approach. Today there are 12 agencies overseeing food safety and enforcing 35 food safety statutes. A proposed agency - the President's Food Safety Council -- would coordinate funding and research efforts between the existing agencies.

"The President has said he wants to expand the Federal Food Safety Surveillance program, he wants increased inspections, and more importantly, increased research and consumer education," Frye says.

Frye reports that the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, has established Food Net monitoring foodborne diseases in ten different states. In addition, Pulse Net offers what Frye describes as "a DNA fingerprint similar to those used in forensic trials." Pulse Net profiles the DNA of organisms that cause an illness, than puts the profile on the computer data base to track it across all states and foods.

HACCP News

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is now mandated for meat and seafood processors. Meanwhile, HACCP in the dairy plant remains voluntary, not mandatory. "Most of the time we've seen HACCP required as a mandatory program when problems exist," Frye notes.

Mandatory guidelines for juice processors are in the proposal stage, HACCP guidelines have been established for the fruit and vegetable industry and a proposal has been initiated for retail level HACCP

IDFA offers its members a free guideline called "IDFA's Dairy HACCP Systems." Frye explains that the manual offers models for various product lines as well as the necessary pre-requisite programs. Meanwhile, Frye notes the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shippers is considering HACCP as an alternative to ratings and check ratings, with a meeting scheduled in early May to make a determination.

Labeling Requirements

The source of recent regulatory labeling requirements can be traced back to October 1996 and the Odwalla Inc., Half Moon Bay, Calif., unpasteurized apple juice containing E.coli 0157:H7. One child in Colorado died after consuming the tainted juice, and 60 other illnesses were reported. It was later determined that apples used in the juice products had been contaminated in the field.

The result? The Sept. 8,1998, implementation of the FDA requirement for processors to add warning labels to packaging of all fresh apple juices and ciders. The requirement expanded to include all untreated juices starting Nov. 8,1998. Perhaps the most serious impact for dairy processors came with the lack of exception for juice drink products containing a minimum percent of fresh squeezed unpasteurized product.

Warning label exemptions do apply to: juice ingredients, purees, concentrates and essences processed to meet 5 log (100,000 fold) reduction in target pathogens. Also, suppliers of juice ingredients must indicate on shipping documents if the product is not processed.

Those required to label must incorporate the following on-package: "WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems."

Bad Bug

Processors continue to guard against product contamination by the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Dairy products as well as raw vegetables, poultry, meat and smoked fish carry the pathogen. "It is rearing its ugly head in our industry as well as in other food industries," Frye says. "It's very resistant, a tough bug."

The most recent dairy industry incident involving L. monocytogenes occurred in February. The recall of products copacked at Kohler Mix Specialties Inc., White Bear Lake, Minn., impacted 11 brand name products and encompassed between 350,000 and 400,000 gallons of ultra high temperature (UHT) processed milk. Kohler Mix Specialties Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michael Foods Inc. and has a large number of copacking customers.

MDA examined 47 suspect products and took 87 environmental samples. Nine product samples confirmed positive for L. monocytogenes, while six environmental samples outside of the product zone tested positive for the pathogen.

Plant samples testing positive were taken from the floor underneath a carton filling machine, from a floor drain, from the floor between two fillers, and from the equipment surfaces on the undersides of three fillers. It remains unknown how bacteria may have moved into the product line.

Production resumed on Feb. 17. No confirmed cases of listeriosis were associated with the Kohler recall.

Though L. monocytogenes can survive freezing and thrive in refrigerated temperatures, the bug does not survive pasteurization. Frye explains that L. monocytogenes is ubiquitous in the environment found at the farm level in manure, silage and water and in 10 percent of raw milk.

With optimum growth occurring between 30 to 37 degrees, the bug can still grow in temperatures up to 104 degrees. In addition, it is pH-resilient, surviving at pH levels ranging from 5.6 to 9.6.

Frye reports that listeriosis chalks up an estimated 1,300 cases annually at CDC, accounting for 5 percent of total food poisoning incidents, with a decline since 1991.

FDA has established "zero tolerance" for cooked ready-to-eat foods containing L. monocytogenes. As a result, between 1987 and 1992, 105 companies had 516 products recalled because of L. monocytogenes presence.

The serious nature of the bug has mandated a Class 1 recall when present. Class I indicates serious adverse health consequence and requires public notification with or without reported illnesses.

One positive sample can trigger this type of recall, which IDFA considers an unnecessary burden to the dairy industry. The dose of L. monocytogenes required to cause illness is unknown.

Frye points to frozen desserts, which carry a low risk for causing listeriosis as no confirmed illness has been associated with contaminated products from this category despite many forced recalls. "FDA's `zero tolerance' policy is not based on science," Frye says. As 66 percent of FDA recalls are based on fear of a listeria outbreak and the agency considers it a drain on resources, FDA may reevaluate policies.

Although FDA will not consider policy changes until its own risk assessment is completed, changes in L. monocytogenes tolerance in frozen dessert products could occur. IDFA has urged FDA to consider developing a Class II recall; product would be pulled from retailers shelves but public announcements would not be mandatory. Whether assessment will include other dairy foods has not yet been determined. FDA will be tracking listeriosis outbreaks and asking the food industry to supply data including the level of L. monocytogenes in specific food products.

IDFA supports the research with several caveats: Data must be of a blind/confidential nature; should look at incidence/occurrence rates; must be quantitative; and environmental monitoring, pasteurization and post-pasteurization contamination should be controlled through sanitation.

Listeriosis is a condition often marked by short-term flu-like symptoms in healthy adults and older children. The disease, which has a 70-day incubation period, can present more serious health problems for pregnant women, the elderly, the very young and those with weakened immune systems and has a 20 percent mortality rate. Frye reminds the industry: "It's nothing to take lightly."