Listeria Control in Food Manufacturing
Per Michael Cramer, “When I was in school, I ran track in Junior High and in High School. My favorite event was high hurdles and I was not very good, but I ran with abandon. When I got to college, the hurdles were higher and I spent a lot of time picking myself up off the track because I fell quite a few times. This is an example of “multiple hurdle concept” for Listeria control. The idea is to put as many controls in place to prevent the entry, translocation and harborage of Listeria in the food manufacturing environment. Examples are presented in Cramer’s Corner, Chapter 4 Slide 4, and described in greater detail in Chapter 4 of the book Food Plant Sanitation, entitled “Control of Listeria in Food Manufacturing”.”
Slide Content
Control of Listeria in food facilities has been described as “multiple hurdle concept” meaning you want to put as many measures in it’s way to prevent entry and harborage
– Raw – Cooked Separation = where possible, create physical separation between raw material and cooked product areas, control the flow or people, materials and equipment
– Elimination of niches = employ sanitary design principles for the facility and the equipment, audit for and eliminate areas where bacteria can harbor
– Control moisture = eliminate sources of water pooling and condensation
– Effective sanitation = develop a program that uses the correct chemicals, methods and equipment for cleaning and sanitizing of the manufacturing environment
– Good Manufacturing Practices = identify employee GMP’s that will prevent the introduction of Listeria to the plant, prevent the spread through the plant and prevent contamination of direct product contact surfaces and finished product
Testing for Listeria in the environment is not a control measure, but understanding where it is located helps to identify the most effective control methods as well as to “seek and destroy” areas of potential growth