This Thanksgiving, no one served Caesar salad. All the romaine lettuce in the US vanished from the grocery store shelves because of an e-coli scare. Not even the sacred Thanksgiving Day turkey has been immune. Recalls of turkey products have been happening, seemingly non-stop, since last November due to listeria and salmonella concerns.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in six Americans become ill from foodborne diseases each year contributing to 3,000 deaths and 128,000 people hospitalized. Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain for up to several days but most people infected with the bacteria recover without treatment. Many people chalk it up to the flu or a “bug” they picked up. Listeria, or Listeriosis, is an intense infection particularly harmful to pregnant women, newborns, and those who are 65 and over. And E. coli can cause myriad problems including severe diarrhea with most severe strain potentially leading to kidney failure.
All of these foodborne illnesses can be fatal if not treated properly.
This past year, thousands of pounds of beef, chicken, turkey, and pork have been recalled because of contamination by different strains of E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. In addition to the problem of consumer safety, the recalls have meant millions of dollars lost to the producers in recalled products and liability to customers. Not to mention the often-irreparable damage to brand reputation.
High-pressure processing (HPP) is an excellent method of increasing food safety and mitigating the risk of food recalls. HPP uses ultra-high-pressure to keep packaged food free of pathogens. With HPP, bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella are inactivated so foods stay fresher longer and shelf life is increased dramatically.
HPP can be the perfect solution for increasing the food safety of products like ready-to-eat meals, ready-to-eat meats, juices, smoothies, dairy products, soups, wet salads and dips, seafood and shellfish. HPP helps producers increase food safety and extend shelf life while providing consumers with nutritious, natural, flavorful food. And since HPP doesn’t use heat or chemical additives, the food retains its fresh flavor and can boast a cleaner label.
Contact JBT/Avure to see how HPP can protect your brand from the damages of a food recall.
