Risk Analysis

As I have posted on the Dirigo Quality Meats FaceBook page, I am going to start offering Risk Analysis and HACCP training. As I go about the process of writing this one day course, I am learning a great deal.

1. I probably should have stuck math in college out through linear algebra
   
2. There is practically no one bridging the gap between rigorous mathematical approach to risk analysis and a more bottom up organic approach that is common in food safety discussions.
   
3. The preferred method of teaching about risk analysis starts with a definition.  I was taught in high school English class this was a pretty weak way to start an essay.  I think the same is true of a Power Point deck.
   
4. I am trying to come up with some interesting risk analysis activities and it is HARD.

HACCP Training Coming to Maine!

Exciting news from Dirigo Quality Meats.  I am going to take an International HACCP Alliance accredited "Train the Trainer" course in DC in March.

This means that I am going to be able to off high quality, accredited, close, HACCP courses here in Maine.  No more traveling for HACCP courses for Maine producers and processors!

Over the coming months I will start offering the following IHA approved courses

• Introductory Course for Development of HACCP Plans for Meat and Poultry Establishments
• Executive Briefing on HACCP
• Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure (SSOP) Course
• Introduction to HACCP

In addition, I am going to work with Cooperative Extension to design a one day HACCP course that will give an overview of risk analysis and the HACCP approach to food safety.  This course will satisfy training requirements for regulating bodies.

It is important to note that for processors trying to achieve SQF certification, their SQF practitioner must have a certificate from a HACCP course.  The four courses listed above will satisfy that requirement.

If you are interested in taking one of the courses, I'd love to hear from you. Send an email to michele<at>dirigoqualitymeats<dot>com.

Labelling

One of the most complex process in putting food into the retail market is labeling.  How to tackle the labeling problem?

Label is a broad term, answer these questions BEFORE you spend money with a designer doing packaging.

1. Are you big enough that you need nutrition labels?  
2. How about safe handling instructions?  
3. Cooking instructions?  Are they validated?
4. Are you making a ready to eat (RTE) or a Not Ready to Eat (NRTE)?
5. Any allergens in your product?
6. How are you going to determine your ingredients list?
7. Are you a USDA product, and thus need to go through LSAS?

Once all the regulatory stuff is squared away, only then can you go to town on package design!

Veterans in Agriculture

There is a movement growing here in America.

Call it Veterans to Farmers

Call it Farmer Veteran Coalition

Call it Combat Boots to Cowboy Boots

We are veterans using the skills we've learned in the Armed Services to make American agriculture stronger and more secure.

Think about it what farming entails-

• getting up early (milking parlor is calling, it's 4AM)
• fixing things (who has money for new?)
• solving problems on your own (how are you going to get that steer out of that mudpit?)
• thinking outside the box (hmm, what can I rig up to extend the growing season?)
• following regulations (water, sewer, GAP, town, county, you name it)

Folks, this is what we train for in the military.  And when something goes wrong?  Adjust fire and keep moving.

So, if you know a veteran and that veteran is interested in any type of agriculture, send me an email (michele <at> dirigoqualitymeats <dot> com.  The US food supply is waiting.

Who is involved in food safety? Everyone.

In the world of food processing, red meat is known as a high risk food.  25% of all outbreaks of foodborn illness can be directly linked back to a meat plant.  As a result of outbreaks of illness, red meat plants are very closely regulated by the USDA.  An inspector is in the plant, walking around on the floor looking at the processing when meat or meat products are in production.  That seems like a good way to stop any potential pathogens, right?  Well, as economists say, it is necessary, but not sufficient.  One FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) inspector, can not prevent all contamination of the product.

As a result, food companies have voluntarily complied with a variety of auditing schemes imposed by the market.  The Global Food Safety Initiative is an umbrella group of food processing, auditing, allied services and non government organizations devoted to food safety, that has authorized a network of auditing schemes for food processing. One such scheme, Safe Quality Food Initiative or SQF has largely been adopted by US meat and food processing companies.  SQF certification means the company has gone through a rigorous assessment of their policies, procedures, and documents to check and see if the company is saying the right thing, doing what they say they are going to do, and, whether what they are doing actually contributes to food safety?

As a food safety consultant, I am deeply interested in creating a culture whereby all actions contribute to the safety and quality of the product.  A safe and wholesome product starts with understanding that a safe food is everyone’s job.  For example, anyone, even upper management, popping onto the production floor, has to follow the same hygiene procedures as a worker who is going to be on the floor all day.  Or, truckers and distributors need to understand not only that the product needs to be kept at the correct temperature, but why it needs to be kept at the correct temperature.  Shipping clerks need to understand that only approved vendors can make deliveries, and thus, the process that approves the vendor, so the clerk is empowered to accept or refuse a shipment, with logical reasons to back him or her up.

It is very exciting to implement this sort of system from the ground up.  However, most companies must go back and re-engineer their processes, and change things around in their plants to comply.  They battle entrenched cultures of “well, we’ve always done it this way”.  But, I sincerely believe that if you teach people about food safety and how to keep food safe during the manufacturing process, all levels can contribute to the process and make it successful

Presentations

The minute a baby animal hits the ground (well, the momma isn’t usually standing, so really, it is a figure of speech) the calf, piglet or lamb is exposed to all sorts of pathogens. As a food safety veterinarian, I am deeply invested in making sure that farms have healthy animals, so that consumers can have safe food.

So, as part of the efforts to have a clean food supply, I made a presentation to the ranchers re-certifying for the Beef Quality Assurance program here in Maine.  I talked about all sorts of diseases.  Both those that come into the food supply, and those that affect ranching, like foot and mouth, or that affect ranching families like rabies.   In March the Dept. of Ag will hold a PQA Plus course for pork producers.  This will be the introduction of a formal PQA program in Maine.  If you are interested in attending, you can send an email to Cindy Kilgore, the Livestock Agent at the Dept. of Ag.

If you’d like a copy of the presentation, or would like me to come and talk to your group, drop me a line.

Listeria control

Listeria.  It's in the drains, it's in the soil, it's on the shoes of the workers that walk into your building.  And if you are making a Ready To Eat (RTE) product, it can be a really big problem.  USDA guidelines  gave some great advice to processors on how to approach their listeria control program.  In short, if you are producing a product that is readily identifiable as RTE and they have risk for environmental exposure you must implement one of three regimens to control Listeria.

Alternative I- Post lethality treatment (PLT) and antimicrobial agents or processes (AMA and AMP respectively).  This option works for conventional products that can be preserved and cooked in their packaging

Alternative II- PLT or AMA/AMP

Alternative III- Implementation of a sanitation program to control Listeria

So, does your product require listeria control?  Ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it Ready to Eat?  Or, if it is on the fence (like frozen dinner) are you planning on labeling yourself out of a RTE category?
2. Is it exposed to listeria after the final pathogen control step in your HACCP?

If the answer is yes to both of those questions, then you need to implement the Listeria Rule.