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January 23 , 2007
PENN
STATE PROGRAM HELPS DELIS, SUPERMARKETS CONTROL LISTERIA
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - As more Americans enjoy meals prepared in delicatessens and supermarkets, food safety experts are seeing an increase in foodborne bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, in ready-to-eat foods. To help control these foodborne pathogens, Cathy Cutter, associate professor of food science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has developed training materials to teach food handlers how to reduce the risk of listeria contamination.
The need is great, according to Cutter. About 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths are blamed on foodborne pathogens annually, she says, but all forms of foodborne illness are consistently underreported in this country.
Listeriosis is associated with a variety of ready-to-eat foods, including sliced deli meats, smoked seafood, frankfurters, soft cheeses made with unpastuerized milk and meat spreads. Cutter says both U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines are very strict when it comes to listeria.
"Federal laws don't tolerate one single cell of the bacterium in ready-to-eat food products, so it's important that food handlers know the proper procedures for controlling it," she explains. A USDA focus on processors and manufacturers has succeeded in cutting incidences of the bacterium in ready-to-eat foods from those sources, but surveillance data indicate that foods processed in delis and supermarkets can harbor the pathogen.
"It's a particular concern because we've seen slight increases in the incidence of listeriosis in some populations -- especially those with compromised immune systems, the very young and the elderly," she says. "And ready-to-eat foods are especially challenging because, in some cases, they don't get cooked again, so there are no secondary measures for controlling the disease.
"We have to reach food handlers if we want to control its spread and its entry into these ready-to-eat foods. The educational materials developed at Penn State provide employees with strategies for doing that."
The materials include a booklet, a 40-minute instructional DVD and four- to eight-hour instructional modules taught by Penn State Cooperative Extension educators. Supervisors can use all or any portion of the program, which focuses on techniques that employees and supervisors in delis and supermarket chains can implement to stop the spread of listeria in foods.
"The DVD is designed so that employees and supervisors can view it one chapter at a session or all in one sitting," Cutter says. "Managers can use the booklet, multi-media presentations and other educational materials to get their employees thinking and talking about potential sites for listeria in their specific establishments.
"They can also identify the training mechanisms and control measures that will work for them," she says. "That can include washing hands, covering outerwear, changing aprons, stepping up sanitation or selecting equipment with sanitary design features to prevent the spread of the bacterium." The DVD, booklet, workshop materials and other support materials also are available in Spanish.
The voluntary educational program is not required for licensing but may meet Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture food safety recertification requirements. Copies of the "Control of Listeria Monocytogenes in Retail Establishments" DVD are available for $35.00 (plus $5 for U.S. shipping and handling) from the College of Agricultural Sciences Publication Distribution Center. For ordering information, call (814) 865-6713 or visit the college's publications Web site at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu. To order using MasterCard or Visa, call (877) 345-0691 toll-free.
The booklet can be found free on the Web at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uk137.pdf or ordered through the College of Agricultural Sciences via phone at (814) 865-6713 or online at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/Publications.asp. This project was funded with support from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and the American Association of Food and Drug Officials.
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EDITORS: Contact Catherine Cutter at 814- 865-8862 or by e-mail at cnc3@psu.edu.
Editor
Gary Abdullah
Phone: 814-863-2708
E-mail:gxa2@psu.edu
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