DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/30/08 2:03 PM Page DTJ-2
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Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/29/08 2:59 PM Page DTJ-1 EXCLUSIVE 2008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES DELIDELI 101101 A NATIONAL PROVISIONER RESEARCH PROJECT BY BARBARA YOUNG, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA WHITE, RESEARCH ASSISTANT A deli-meat processing program must include a well-orchestrated food-safety plan girded by scientific strategies and practical operating procedures reinforced with definitive regulatory standards. INTRODUCTION eli meat has surged in popularity to the degree strategies” section. They include Land O’ Frost, Applegate D that it accounts for a sizable share of retail sales, Farms, West Liberty Foods, Nature’s Premium Brand, Deli which translates into higher production opportunities Brands of America, and Farmland Foods. Since deli meat, for manufacturers of the ready-to-eat (RTE) products. cold cuts and luncheon meat share a traditional link as a That’s the good news. The other side is that the ubiquitous category, several meat scientists were asked to clarify the impact of Listeria monocytogenes (Lmono) continues to matter related to a definition. Their contributions are included create food-safety problems for manufacturers of RTE products. in Part Two. This report focuses on the food-safety aspects of This marks the fourth report in The National producing deli meat and basic production procedures. A Provisioner’s Technology Journal Series. Previous reports select number of deli processors participated in the “best covered bacon, ground beef and sausage. NP A supplement to a BNP Media publication DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/30/08 2:03 PM Page DTJ-2 NP1008WEB2.indd 1 9/19/08 12:07:52 PM Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/29/08 2:59 PM Page DTJ-3 2008 TECH JOURNAL SERIES PART ONE: OVERVIEW he primary benefit in terms of meeting comprise a versatile line of products suitable for T consumer demands is that deli products lunch, dinner, snacks and appetizers. are precooked and thus qualify as “I believe the manufacturers producing deli convenient food that fits busy lifestyles. Deli meats meats have excelled in providing an affordable safe food supply,” confirms John Butts, vice president of Technology advances in deli processing research for Lansing, Ill.-based Land O’ Frost, one of the world’s largest providers of luncheon and 1. Sanitary equipment design deli meats. “Convenience, consistency and value 2. Sanitary facility design are among the most desired traits today.” 3. Pathogen inhibitors: lactate and diacetate Land O’ Frost pioneered retort packaging, a 4. Pasteurization processes for packaged product, technology that provides longer shelf life at room HPP*, heat temperatures without chemical additives, in the 5. Best practices: sanitation process control 1980s. Like other deli-meat processors, Land O’ Frost 6. Identifying and eliminating growth niches on joined the ultra-thin deli-style shaved meat trend RTE area early on. 7. Automation Joe Corday, extension meat specialist at Iowa 8. Worker safety State University, applauds the deli-meat industry *high pressure processing for its increasing use of technology in its production Source: John Butts, VP Research, Land O Frost programs. Continued on page DTJ-4 OCTOBER 2008 | DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL DTJ-3 DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 8 PM Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/29/08 3:00 PM Page DTJ-4 DELI TECHNOLOGY 101 “It’s getting better and better all the time,” he The scientific community recommends a says. “The industry is doing a great job concerning total-process-control approach for quality, consistency and food safety.” pathogen control The deli-meat category, especially “high-quality” • Environmental microbial sampling and testing meats sold in retail delis, includes seasoned meats programs and solid-muscle cuts such as ham, roast beef and • Effective and documented sanitation standard turkey. “When we thought of deli meat before, we operating procedures (SSOPs) and elimination of nich- thought of high quality,” Corday explains. “Now es and harborage sites we see a big selection in retail that is high-quality, • Proper risk and hazard analysis thinly-sliced meat packed in MAP.” • Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and HACCP Corday adds that unlike in traditional packs that program inhibited easy product separation, MAP works • Proper and effective worker training and standard because of its “loose-pack” feature. MAP is a packing operating procedures (SOPs) solution designed to enhance shelf life. Experts • Control of rework and product reprocessing conclude that nitrogen-only atmospheres (absolutely • Effective product lotting and limiting the size of excluding oxygen from the air) or by adding slight product lots concentrations of carbon dioxide can effectively • Effective product coding and traceability or recall change the aspect and preservation of different plan types of deli meats. • Proper recordkeeping, documentation and verification For Butts, other critical issues concerning activities deli-meat production include ensuring that the Source: John Sofos, Ph.D., Colorado State University workforce skill base reinforces the process knowledge required to control both safety and quality practices. biological hazards. “Maintaining consumer confidence in our products “Plant audits should address plant and equipment as we work our way through the minefields we cleaning and sanitation programs and procedures,” face, such as Listeria, Salmonella, nitrite and cloning Sofos continues. “Other procedures include good is critical,” he concludes. hygienic practices by personnel, GMPs, written To be sure, food-safety challenges abound for SOP, employee training, HACCP monitoring and meat and poultry manufacturers of deli meats due corrective action activities and record maintenance.” to their vulnerability to bacterial contamination — Food science, technology and equipment especially Listeria monocytogenes (Lmono). automation are also invaluable tools. The points of vulnerability to Lmono on the For example, advances in nanotechnology benefit processing floor include areas dedicated to slicing, supermarket deli department pathogen-detection peeling, re-bagging and cooling semi-permeable arsenals. U.S. scientists have developed a portable encased product with brine solution. device capable of detecting the presence of chemicals, “The natural habitats of this pathogen include soil, pathogens and toxins in meat and other food water, sewage, decaying vegetation and silage,” reports products. Thanks to its instant pathogen monitoring John Sofos, Ph.D., a distinguished professor at feature, this technology eliminates the need to send Colorado State University’s center for meat and safety product samples to off-site laboratories for and quality. “The environmental contamination results pathogen checks. * in feed and animal contamination and fecal excretion to “Foreign objects and pathogen control are the most complete the contamination cycle.” significant and frequent concerns for deli meats,” Butts Manufacturers and distributors of RTE products emphasizes. “Cooking regarding time and temperature must implement procedures targeting hygiene, is a universal CCP [critical control point] in RTE sanitation and food safety in battling threats linked products. As an industry, we have done a very good to microorganisms. “Other efforts may include job in process control for this hazard.” NP upgrading older plants including drains and traffic patterns,” Sofos adds. *Modern Deli, International Deli Solutions for Post-lethality processes include a combination of Processors, Retailers and Foodservice Operators, Vol. 2, hurdles concentrating on physical, chemical and Issue 3 DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL DTJ-4 DELI TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2008 Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/29/08 3:00 PM Page DTJ-5 Why not stand apart from the rest of the litter? Our relentless focus on customer That attitude grows out of our UltraLac from Hawkins is a unique satisfaction is why more and more tradition of innovation. We prefer companies are turning to Hawkins as to understand what our customers formulation of liquid lactate salts used as their lactate supplier. need and then develop antimicrobial agents in Ready-To-Eat meat exactly the right solution if and poultry products. UltraLac eliminates At Hawkins, we don’t that’s what they ask for. the harsh and bitter aftertaste that other simply make three or products on the market can exhibit. And four major products Discover a better choice UltraLac can measurably enhance the and then call it a day. in lactate suppliers. Find safety of RTE meat products by inhibiting We can — and often do out more about Hawkins’ the growth of listeria monocytogenes and — alter and test many UltraLac products and other pathogens. different blends until the rest of our liquid food we arrive at just the ingredients. Call our toll- right solution. Yours. free number today. Call toll-free 1-800-328-5460 We bring so much more to the table Deli Tech 1:WM 08 9/29/08 3:00 PM Page DTJ-6 DELI TECHNOLOGY 101 PART TWO: DEFINING DELI MEATS definition for deli meat is not exactly clear-cut, sausages such as bologna, hotdogs, wieners, turkey A given its connection to other references such as franks, cotto salami and poultry roll; (B) luncheon meat and cold cuts. cooked/smoked sausages such Berliner and cheese “A lot of times people say they are one and the smokies; (C) cooked sausages such as pork sausage same, but luncheon meat is more of a sausage product patties and brown and serve sausages; and (D) cooked like bologna or cotta salami,” explains Joe Cordray, pastrami, corned beef, roast beef, roast pork, cooked extension meat