Issues To Consider When Setting Intervention Targets with Limited Data for Low-Moisture Food Commodities: A Peanut Case Study

Authors: Schaffner, Donald W.¹; Buchanan, Robert L.²; Calhoun, Stephen³; Danyluk, Michelle D.⁴; Harris, Linda J.⁵; Djordjevic, Darinka⁶; Whiting, Richard C.⁷; Kottapalli, Bala⁸; Wiedmann, Martin⁹

Source: Journal of Food Protection®, Number 2, February 2013, pp. 190-369 , pp. 360-369(10)

Publisher: International Association for Food Protection

Buy & download fulltext article:

The full text is Open Access.

View now:

PDF 3,106.6kb

Abstract:

Peanuts and peanut-containing products have been linked to at least seven salmonellosis outbreaks worldwide in the past two decades. In response, the Technical Committee on Food Microbiology of the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute collaborated with the American Peanut Council to convene a workshop to develop a framework for managing risk in low-moisture food commodities where large data sets are unavailable (using peanuts as the example). Workshop attendees were charged with answering questions regarding the appropriate statistical and scientific methods for setting log reduction targets with limited pathogen prevalence and concentration data, suitable quantities of data needed for determining appropriate log reduction targets, whether the requirement of a 5-log reduction in the absence of data to establish a target log reduction is appropriate, and what targeted log reduction would protect public health. This report concludes that the judgment about sufficient data is not solely scientific, but is instead a science-informed policy decision that must weigh additional societal issues. The participants noted that modeling efforts should proceed with sampling efforts, allowing one to compare various assumptions about prevalence and concentration and how they are combined. The discussions made clear that data and risk models developed for other low-moisture foods like almonds and pistachios may be applicable to peanuts. Workshop participants were comfortable with the use of a 5-log reduction for controlling risk in products like peanuts when the level of contamination of the raw ingredients is low (<1 CFU/g) and the process well controlled, even when limited data are available. The relevant stakeholders from the food safety community may eventually conclude that as additional data, assumptions, and models are developed, alternatives to a 5-log reduction might also result in the desired level of protection for peanuts and peanut products.

Articles that cite this article?

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-12-171

Affiliations: 1: Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, 65 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901;, Email: schaffner@aesop.rutgers.edu 2: Center for Food Safety and Security Systems, University of Maryland, 0119 Symons Hall, College Park, Maryland 20742 3: American Peanut Council, 1500 King Street, Suite 301, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 4: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Citrus Research & Education Center, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, Florida 33850 5: Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616-8598 6: Formerly with the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute, 1156 15th Street N.W., 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20005 7: Exponent, Inc., 17000 Science Drive, Suite 200, Bowie, Maryland 20715 8: Kraft Foods, 200 Deforest Avenue, East Hanover, New Jersey 07936, ConAgra Foods, Five ConAgra Drive, 5-435, Omaha, NE 68102, USA 9: Department of Food Science, Cornell University, 412 Stocking Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Publication date: 2013-02-01

More about this publication?

IAFP members must first sign in on the right to access full text articles of JFP

First published in 1937, the Journal of Food Protection^®, is a refereed monthly publication. Each issue contains scientific research and authoritative review articles reporting on a variety of topics in food science pertaining to food safety and quality. The Journal is internationally recognized as the leading publication in the field of food microbiology with a readership exceeding 11,000 scientists from 70 countries. The Journal of Food Protection^® is indexed in Index Medicus, Current Contents, BIOSIS, PubMed, Medline, and many others.

Print and online subscriptions are available to Members and Institutional subscribers. Online visitors who are not IAFP Members or journal subscribers will be charged on a pay-per-view basis. Information can be obtained by calling +1 800.369.6337; +1 515.276.3344; fax: +1 515.276.8655, E-mail: info@foodprotection.org or Web site: www.foodprotection.org
Information for Authors
Submit a Paper
Subscribe to this Title
Membership Information
Information for Advertisers
ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Issues To Consider When Setting Intervention Targets with Limited Data for Low-Moisture Food Commodities: A Peanut Case Study

Buy & download fulltext article:

Tools

Key

Text size:

Useful pages