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Siobhan123

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Posted 06 November 2014 - 12:19 PM

Hey Guys 

 

A bit of advice needed, we are starting a new product so I have tested the raw material which is raw pork. It has came back present for listeria (lab did not specify the species), is this normal, like should there be a presence of this is raw meat?

 

Thanks

 

S x



Mike Green

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Posted 06 November 2014 - 12:36 PM

Hi Siobhan,

 

I suppose it entirely depends on which sp. and how much!

 

The last microbiological survey of meat for retail sale in the UK (that I am aware of) is attachedAttached File  acm997redmeat.pdf   87.34KB   43 downloads

 

The highlights (as far as Listeria sp is concerned)

 

 

Listeria spp. was detected on the surface of 619 of the 5,998 samples 

tested resulting in an overall prevalence of 10.62%. Non-pathogenic 
L. welshimeri was the most predominant species confirmed being 
found in 349 (6.01%) samples. L. monocytogenes was found in 185 
samples giving a prevalence of 3.17% and was more prevalent on 
lamb and beef. The majority of L. monocytogenes (90.3%; n=167/185) 
detected was present at less than 10 cfu/meat sample with only 2.4% 
(n=4/185) samples greater than 100 cfu/meat sample. These results 
confirmed that the levels (cfu) of L. monocytogenes found on the 
surface of whole cuts of retail red meat were low and below the level 
of concern for ready to eat foods (>100 cfu/g).

 Also attached is the BMPA specification for raw pork  for info Attached File  bmpa pork.pdf   230.34KB   37 downloads

 

KInd Regards

 

Mike


I may sound like a complete idiot...but actually there are a couple of bits missing

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srose

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Posted 14 November 2014 - 06:53 PM

Listeria is considered to be ubiquitous in nature, that is, it is found everywhere. Hence I don't see why it can't be present in raw meat. It may have come from the water, soil, air etc.

 

The good news is that Listeria is easily killed by heat, thus as long as the meat is cooked to safe internal temperatures, I wouldn't consider it as a cause for concern in raw meats.



Charles.C

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Posted 14 November 2014 - 08:35 PM

Listeria is considered to be ubiquitous in nature, that is, it is found everywhere. Hence I don't see why it can't be present in raw meat. It may have come from the water, soil, air etc.

 

The good news is that Listeria is easily killed by heat, thus as long as the meat is cooked to safe internal temperatures, I wouldn't consider it as a cause for concern in raw meats.

 

Dear srose,

 

I agree with yr first paragraph as far as detection is concerned. Not so sure about 2nd one though. IMEX L.mono. is considered a heat resistant vegetative species. Hence it's frequent use for defining  minimum thermal requirements for food pasteurizations.

 

@Siobhan - safety-wise, there is interest in how much L.mono  (the pathogenic contribution) was present (eg as approx. evaluated in Mike's post). Unfortunately this takes more lab. effort so  Listeria is commonly reported unless a specific request made.

 

@Mike- sadly the final report related to yr useful meat attachment seems to be no longer "findable" by HMG. Hmmmm.

 

Rgds / Charles.C


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


RG3

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Posted 14 November 2014 - 10:59 PM

A good read for those who think that since the product needs to be cooked before eating they're off the hook. I think I had mentioned this in another post. Coincidentally this article came out today on ABC news. It's almost as good as the raw milk article Magenta Majors. Who knows, maybe she had some raw milk with some of that raw cookie dough.

 

How Eating Raw Cookie Dough Led to One Mom's Death, Son Recalls

 

His mother died an agonizing death, possibly because she ate a few bites of raw cookie dough years earlier.

Richard Simpson, of Las Vegas, recounted his mom's painful battle with E. coli today at an FDA hearing about stricter regulations on food production.

Linda Rivera died last summer, four years after she ate a few spoonfuls of prepackaged cookie dough that was later found to be contaminated with a dangerous strain of E. coli. First, her kidneys stopped functioning and she went into septic shock. Over the years, she became sicker as more organs failed and she was in and out of the hospital for operations.

Oregon Girl Dies From E. Coli as Friend Battles Same Bug

A Way to Prevent E. coli Illness

Most Germ-Infested Place in Your Home Is Shocking

"There were moments of hope -- and of despair," Simpson, 22, said today. "She fought very hard. We knew she didn't want to give up."

Rivera died in July 2013 from medical complications that appeared to stem from the E. coli she was infected with years earlier, her son said.

"Eventually, her body just couldn't take it," said Bill Marler, Rivera's friend and the attorney who handled her claim against Nestle, which manufactured the contaminated cookie dough in 2009.

"She was probably the most severely injured E. coli victim I have ever seen," he added. "She suffered brain injury. She had quite a large section of her large intestines removed. She suffered so many infections while hospitalized it was incredible. She was on a ventilator for several months in a coma. She was a very sick lady."

Through it all, Rivera's family and Marler said, she remained strong.

"I remember the first time I met Linda, she was vomiting and retching and she was really sick, but she would apologize -- 'I am so sorry, please sit down, do you need anything to drink?'" Marler said. "That's just the way she was. She was just the most graceful, caring person you can ever meet."

Simpson, who recently got married, said he's fighting for stricter food regulations so another son doesn't have to testify about his mother's eventual death after she ate contaminated food.

"She wanted as much peace in this world as possible," he said of his mother. "I feel like I was put here in this position, for some reason, to help other people."

The panel was to discuss proposed changes to the FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act, including updates that could help prevent the spread of bacteria including E. coli.

Nestle recalled its pre-made Toll House cookie dough in 2009 after dozens of E. coli illnesses were reported.

Rivera's claim against the company was settled for an undisclosed amount, Marler said.

In a statement, Nestle said, "The fact that our product was implicated in Linda Rivera’s 2009 illness and tragic passing was obviously of grave concern to all of us at Nestle. Since then, we have implemented more stringent testing and inspection of raw materials and finished product to ensure the product meets our high quality standards. In addition, we have switched to using heat-treated flour to further enhance safety. We continue to emphasize that the cookie dough should be consumed only after baking and not eaten raw."

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, said Rivera's long battle with E. coli is rare, but pointed out that it's not the bacteria that ultimately killed her.

"She never really recovered completely from her initial illness, and then developed a series of medical complications," he said.

Simpson, who recently bought a house with his new wife, said he knows his mom would be proud of him if she were alive today.

"I know she's looking down and guiding me," he said. "Emotionally, she's here with me and I see signs everywhere. Like right now, I just saw a cup on a table that I have at my house that my mom had bought me two and a half years ago. That's the exact same cup my mom bought me. I see that all the time."

"I was always a mama's boy," he added.



Charles.C

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Posted 15 November 2014 - 06:26 AM

Dear RG3,

 

I presume -

 

https://gma.yahoo.co...topstories.html

 

Interesting but, product-wise/ species-wise, somewhat OT perhaps ? :smile: Although i agree yr (implied) comment that "responsible"  labelling seems to be a very flexible concept in USA. (But then again, how to define the "average" educated consumer as some labelling RAs require ?).

 

The panel was to discuss proposed changes to the FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act, including updates that could help prevent the spread of bacteria including E. coli.

 

From the above link -

 

Richard Simpson, of Las Vegas, recounted his mom's painful battle with E. coli today at an FDA hearing about stricter regulations on food production

 

I'm unclear as to whether the principle focus in current FDA discussion was inadequate labelling laws, insufficient end-product testing (bye-bye haccp), poor quality raw materials, insufficient consumer education, (or everything )?.
 

ie proposed changes = ? (couldn't see any FDA-related links)

 

If labelling under attack, allergens would appear to be an even softer target.

 

Rgds / Charles.C

 

PS - is detection of E.coli O157 (et al) in incoming lots of raw material grounds for rejection of any  associated raw finished product in USA ?. I anticipate not unless some level/prevalence of contamination is demonstrated?.


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Mike Green

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Posted 15 November 2014 - 12:44 PM

 

 

@Mike- sadly the final report related to yr useful meat attachment seems to be no longer "findable" by HMG. Hmmmm.

 

Rgds / Charles.C

sorry Charles- I should have checked the link in the document before posting!!!!-(they're always moving stuff!)

 

It's now here

 

Mike


I may sound like a complete idiot...but actually there are a couple of bits missing



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