PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND LISTERIA 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

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 Institute Doris Hicks – University of Delaware Tom Rippen – University of Maryland Mike 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 cream Meats: sausages, ham, paté Poultry: chicken, turkey Vegetables: potatoes, radishes, salad mixes Seafood: 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  Toothbrushes Cox 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: % 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:

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:

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:

Industry Priorities 1. 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 Recalls 17 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 Recalls 31/62 (50%) in /76 (46%) in /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 – , 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 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 Risk to 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 (n = 31,705) Smoked seafood 2644 samples % Seafood salads 2446 samples %

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