Preharvest Food Safety Challenges in Beef and Dairy Production
- Author: David R. Smith1
- Editors: Kalmia Kniel2, Siddhartha Thakur3
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VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONSAffiliations: 1: Mississippi State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State, MS 39762; 2: Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Delaware, Newark, DE; 3: North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC
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Received 11 January 2015 Accepted 04 August 2015 Published 19 August 2016
- Correspondence: David R. Smith, [email protected]

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Abstract:
Foods of animal origin, including beef and dairy products, are nutritious and important to global food security. However, there are important risks to human health from hazards that are introduced to beef and dairy products on the farm. Food safety hazards may be chemical, biological, or physical in nature. Considerations about protecting the safety of beef and dairy products must begin prior to harvest because some potential food safety hazards introduced at the farm (e.g., chemical residues) cannot be mitigated by subsequent postharvest food processing steps. Also, some people have preferences for consuming food that has not been through postharvest processing even though those foods may be unsafe because of microbiological hazards originating from the farm. Because of human fallibility and complex microbial ecologies, many of the preharvest hazards associated with beef and dairy products cannot entirely be eliminated, but the risk for most can be reduced through systematic interventions taken on the farm. Beef and dairy farms differ widely in production practices because of differences in natural, human, and capital resources. Therefore, the actions necessary to minimize on-farm food safety hazards must be farm-specific and they must address scientific, political, economic, and practical aspects. Notable successes in controlling and preventing on-farm hazards to food safety have occurred through a combination of voluntary and regulatory efforts.
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Citation: Smith D. 2016. Preharvest Food Safety Challenges in Beef and Dairy Production. Microbiol Spectrum 4(4):PFS-0008-2015. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.PFS-0008-2015.




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Abstract:
Foods of animal origin, including beef and dairy products, are nutritious and important to global food security. However, there are important risks to human health from hazards that are introduced to beef and dairy products on the farm. Food safety hazards may be chemical, biological, or physical in nature. Considerations about protecting the safety of beef and dairy products must begin prior to harvest because some potential food safety hazards introduced at the farm (e.g., chemical residues) cannot be mitigated by subsequent postharvest food processing steps. Also, some people have preferences for consuming food that has not been through postharvest processing even though those foods may be unsafe because of microbiological hazards originating from the farm. Because of human fallibility and complex microbial ecologies, many of the preharvest hazards associated with beef and dairy products cannot entirely be eliminated, but the risk for most can be reduced through systematic interventions taken on the farm. Beef and dairy farms differ widely in production practices because of differences in natural, human, and capital resources. Therefore, the actions necessary to minimize on-farm food safety hazards must be farm-specific and they must address scientific, political, economic, and practical aspects. Notable successes in controlling and preventing on-farm hazards to food safety have occurred through a combination of voluntary and regulatory efforts.

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Figures

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FIGURE 1
Numbers of accidental deaths in the United States in 1998, by cause. From the National Safety Council, http://www.nsc.org.

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FIGURE 2
Percentage of sampled beef carcasses with violative drug residues based on USDA FSIS statistical sampling in 2012, by class of cattle ( 15 ). Error bars represent Clopper-Pearson exact 95% confidence intervals calculated by the author.

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FIGURE 3
Percentage of beef carcasses that had violative drug residues discovered by USDA FSIS targeted inspector-generated sampling (NRP, Tier II) in 2012, by class of cattle ( 15 ). Error bars represent Clopper-Pearson exact 95% confidence intervals calculated by the author. *The proportion of non-formula-fed veal samples with violative samples was 0.43% (95% confidence interval = 0.33% to 0.55%).

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FIGURE 4
Number of violative drug residues detected in U.S. milk samples, by source. Data are from NCIMS, 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013 ( 18 ). Error bars represent Clopper-Pearson exact 95% confidence intervals calculated by the author.

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FIGURE 5
Mean annual number of outbreak-associated foodborne illnesses in the United States, by pathogen 2002 to 2006 ( 27 ).
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