Europe takes on-farm approach North America may need to adjust processing systems and technologies to meet European trade requirements
TORONTO — The approaches to food safety in North America and Europe are as different as night and day.
Europeans believe in tackling the problem at the farm, while North Americans try to remove risks at the final processing stage, said Keith Warriner of the University of Guelph’s food science department.
“Europe puts a lot of focus on farm intervention to try and keep pathogens from entering the farm and obviously being disseminated,” he told a Canadian Meat Council food safety symposium held in Toronto Oct. 2-3.
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Large scale North American meat plants use a combination of washes, sprays and other decontaminants, but they have limitations. Organic acids, lactic, acetic washes are common in North America but not in Europe.
Many washes and other treatments work well at removing E. coli, salmonella and other pathogens when used in combination.
Some work better than others and some are ineffectual. As well, it is not uncommon for clean carcasses to become tainted again once they are cut into pieces.
“Every year, there are new interventions coming on and the real ones making a difference in the industry are citric acid based washes,” Warriner said. “These interventions (that) we think work didn’t work at all. They were more like cosmetic.”
New technologies are also emerging, but they must be approved and need to be cost effective for a company to consider. Government approval can take years.
Meanwhile, new trade agreements with Europe are forcing processors to learn what food safety technologies are acceptable in that new market.
Chlorinated water is often used to rinse chickens in the United States, but the practice is not accepted in Europe because chlorine is considered carcinogenic.
Chlorinated spray washes seemed like the answer, yet salmonella and campylobacter are increasing in the U.S., said independent consultant Ruff Lowman, who has researched systems in northern Europe, where on-farm biosecurity is emphasized.
More feed treatments and vaccines are used at the farm level.
“Vaccination is effective against salmonella in Europe, but vaccination in North America isn’t so common,” said Lowman.
His research looked at how Iceland reduced the incidence of campylobacter by 90 percent in broiler operations. Fresh sampling found in 1999 that 80 percent of flocks were positive for campylobacter, which resulted in a campaign to reduce levels starting in 2001.
Ultraviolet treatment of water and improved biosecurity was implemented and manure management received more attention.
Simple things such as fly control in barns were introduced, but control must be diligent, he said.
