Control of Listeria in Ready To Eat Seafoods

     Funded under the National Food Safety Initiative in 2000 by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of USDA, Project Number 00-51110-9768. The goal of this project is to integrate research, extension, and teaching efforts to develop, evaluate, and deliver science-based outreach programs for improved control strategies to help the food industry control the food borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. This organism has the ability to grow well at refrigeration temperatures and in many types of food processing plant environments. Strategies to prevent post-processing contamination of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) foods are essential to prevent consumers from becoming ill from these products.

     Our specific hypothesis is that improved environmental control strategies and sanitation procedures can significantly reduce L. monocytogenes contamination of RTE food products. We are using the RTE seafood industry as a model system to: (i) evaluate sensitive molecular sub-typing methods for L. monocytogenes to identify contamination sources and track the spread of environmental contamination in the processing plant, and to (ii) develop science-based intervention and control strategies utilizing specific sanitation procedures, employee training, and in-plant monitoring using molecular sub-typing.

     Three specific training programs were developed for this project to help processing plants establish and implement improved science based L. monocytogenes control programs. These training programs are designed for use in the plant, to train employees who conduct specific activities that are integral to the successful implementation of a program, to reduce and prevent Listeria monocytogenes contamination of RTE seafood products. The following questions are addressed in these training programs.

• What is Listeria monocytogenes?
• Why is Listeria monocytogenes a concern for a food processing plant?
• Where can you find Listeria in a processing plant?
• How does Listeria spread throughout a plant?
• How does one control Listeria contamination in a processing plant?
• What do plant employees need to do to control and prevent L. monocytogenes contamination?
• What types of cleaning and sanitation procedures are required?
• How does a plant prevent cross contamination within their processing facility

     Each of the three training programs consists of a set of PowerPoint slides that can be used by management to train their employees. Each slide is accompanied by an extensive set of ""speaker notes"" designed to help plant management deliver an effective training program. These training programs are available on-line. Please click on the training program of interest to view the material on-line or download each presentation to your computer.

Listeria Training Program for All Employees

Plant Cleaning & Sanitizing Training Program for Listeria Control

Cross Contamination Prevention Training for Listeria Control Program