PROJECT INTRODUCTION

ANDLISTERIA SUMMARY

Control of Listeria monocytogenes in

Seafood Processing Environments

National Food Safety Initiative Project

Funded by:Cooperative State Research,

Education and Extension Service of USDA under Agreement No. 00-

51110-9769

Principal Investigators: Martin Wiedmann– Cornell Food Science Dept.

Ken Gall – New York Sea Grant Project Collaborators:

Jenny Scott – National Food Processors Assoc.

Bob Collette – National Fisheries InstituteDoris Hicks – University of DelawareTom Rippen – University of MarylandMike Moody & Jon Bell – Louisiana State U.George Flick – Virginia Tech

Project Goal:

To understand sources and spread of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) seafood processing facilities and to develop intervention strategies that can be implemented by industry.

Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a bacterium that can cause foodborne disease (listeriosis) in humans

Listeriosis predominantly affects the elderly, people with weak immune systems, and pregnant women and newborns.

Overview of the Problem

Lm is widespread in the environment

Soil Vegetation Silage

Water Sewage Fecal Material

Fenlon in Ryser & Marth, 1999

Lm can be isolated from a variety of animals:

Sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, pheasants, fish, crustaceans, mice, rats,

rabbits, dogs, cats, deer, pigeons, parrots, frogs, insects,

etc.Wesley in Ryser & Marth, 1999

Lm has been isolated from a wide variety of foods:

Dairy Products: cheeses, ice creamMeats: sausages, ham, patéPoultry: chicken, turkeyVegetables: potatoes, radishes, salad mixesSeafood: crab, shrimp, salmon, trout

Farber & Peterkin, 1991; Ryser & Marth, 1999

Lm has been isolated from food plant environments

Floors Drains HVAC Coolers

Condensate Conveyors Slicers, etc. Mops, sponges

Bernard & Sveum, 1994; Gravani in Ryser & Marth, 1999

Lm has been isolated from the home environment

Kitchen environment Dish cloths, brushes Refrigerators Sinks

ToothbrushesCox et al., 1989; Sergelidis et al., 1997;

Beumer & te Giffel, 1998

Lm has been isolated from the retail environment

Deli foods Retail refrigerators Meat slicers

Humphrey and Worthington, 1990; Salvat et al. , 1995; Sergelidis et al., 1997.

Lm can be isolated from the intestinal tract of humans:0.8-21% of normal, healthy

humans.Slutsker & Schuchat in

Ryser & Marth 1999

Scenario No. 1:The Isolated Case

An individual case of listeriosis with no apparent link to others.

The conditions leading to isolated cases are varied and often uncertain or unknown.

Some may be part of a cluster or outbreak that was not detected.

Source: Tompkin, R.B. (2002) J. Food Prot. 65:709-725

Scenario No. 2: Cases Linked by a Single Lot of Food

One lot of contaminated food that leads to a cluster of cases.

One or more food handling errors may be involved.

The outbreak ceases when the lot of food is no longer available.

Source: Tompkin, R.B. (2002) J. Food Prot. 65:709-725

Scenario 3: Clusters or outbreaks involving multiple lots of food from a single source

Cases may be scattered by time and location.

An unusually virulent strain of Lm has become established in a food operation.

Multiple lots of food are contaminated over time.

The food supports the growth of Lm. Source: Tompkin, R.B. (2002) J. Food Prot. 65:709-725

Industry Priorities1. Prevent conditions that lead to

extended outbreaks (scenario 3).

2. Control conditions to minimize the risk of isolated cases and clusters (scenarios 1 and 2).

3. Control conditions to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Consequences of Lm in Foods - Listeriosis normal individuals?? pregnant women neonates the elderly immunosuppressed

individuals

Foodborne Listeriosis

2500 cases (estimated) 90% are hospitalized 500 deaths (20% of cases)

CDC, 1999

FDA Recalls17 in 1999, 34 in 2000, 34 in 2001

sandwiches, cheeses (hard and soft), sliced apples, platter w/ red bell peppers, red bell peppers, seafood (smoked, salads, dip), ice cream, cut salads, sprouts, coleslaw, hummus, cucumber garlic sauce

USDA Recalls31/62 (50%) in 1999

35/76 (46%) in 2000 22/87 (25%) in 2001

sausages, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, roast beef, corned beef, ham, bologna, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, chicken salad, chicken wings, roast duckling, duck breast, jerky

Recent Seafood Recalls Smoked trout – Eden Brook Fish Market, NY,

7/02 Other Smoked Fish products,

Majority of seafood recalls Langostino tails – Trader Joe’s, East and

Midwest, January 2001 Smoked whitefish salad – Hommarus/Marshall

Smoked Fish, Inc., December 2000 Seafood Salad – Ittella Foods, CA, October 2000

Warning Letters Pacific Seafood Group, Newport,

Oregon, July 01- Frozen shrimp adulterated with LM

Listeriosis from seafood Shrimp (?) – 1989, CT, 10 cases Mussels – 1991, Australia, 4 cases Mussels – 1992, New Zealand, 3 cases Gravad (raw marinated) or cold-smoked

rainbow trout – 1994-95, Sweden, 9 cases

Cold-smoked rainbow trout – 1998, Finland, 5 cases

Case Study: Sara Lee, 12/98

Recall of 15 million pounds of deli meats and hot dogs due to LM contamination

101 listeriosis cases and 21 deaths $1.6 million settlement on 5 individual

wrongful death claims in Cook County Settlement of class action lawsuit - $5

million (?)

Sara Lee (continued)

Pleaded guilty June 22, 2001 to misdemeanor charge of selling contaminated meat

Paid maximum fine of $200,000 Agreed to spend $3 million on food

safety research at Michigan State University

Listeriosis Outbreak 200253 illnesses, 11 deaths July-Oct

Turkey deli meat implicated Pilgrim’s Pride/Wampler

Recall of 27 million pounds of fresh and frozen RTE turkey and chicken products due to possible LM contamination – outbreak strain in plant

Jack Lambersky Poultry Recall of 200,000 pounds of RTE poultry

products outbreak strain found in product

Draft Assessment of the Relative Riskto Public Health from Foodborne Listeria monocytogenes Among Selected Categories of Ready-to-Eat Foods

1/19/01

FDA/FSIS Risk Assessment

Highest relative risk per serving:

Pâté, meat spreads Fresh soft cheese Smoked seafood

(Intermediate Age Group)

Many Products collected and tested

Including Seafood Salads (other than tuna) Smoked Seafood

Crawfish tail meat NOT tested

Gombas, DE, et al. (2003) J. Food Protection

Survey of LM in Ready-to-Eat Foods, 2003.

Ready-to-Eat Food Samples Tested in 2000-2001 (n = 31,705)

Smoked seafood

2644 samples

114 + 4.3%

Seafood salads

2446 samples

115 + 4.7%

Summary of Findings Smoked Seafood and Seafood Salads

High LM incidence or occurrence Amount of LM bacteria per occurrence could also be high

Smoked seafood and seafood salad products are a concern for LM occurrence and risk

Survey of LM in Ready-to-Eat Foods, 2003.

“Zero Tolerance”None detected in a 25g sample

of a ready-to-eat food

U.S. Policy

Reduction of Listeriosis

The US has a public health goal to reduce the incidence of listeriosis in half by 2005.

“Outbreak” Foods

Refrigerated foods Long shelf-life Supports growth to high

numbers

Many RTE Seafoods

Refrigerated foods Long shelf-life Supports growth to high

numbers

Summary Smoked seafood has all the characteristics of a

“high risk” food with respect to listeriosis Smoked seafood & seafood salads appear to have a

higher prevalence of LM than many RTE foods FDA has concerns about LM in all RTE foods,

including crawfish – expect more regulatory action in the future

Recalls are expensive Making someone sick is more expensive

Conclusion

Understanding the risk and control of LM in processing plants and final products is critical for the crawfish tail meat industry