Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Manufacturing News

Local food still raises safety concerns

Auburn University project aims to improve food safety in local products

By Wayne Labs
recording weight of cow

Auburn University agriculture professor Christy Bratcher uses a wireless scale to record the weight of a heifer. Bratcher, director of Auburn’s Food Systems Institute, is leading a research project to assess the safety of locally produced foods, create educational material and develop a butchery school.

Photo courtesy of: Philip Smith

September 17, 2018

While the local foods movement has generated excitement among consumers, buying locally processed meats is not necessarily a guarantee that they will be more food safe than large-scale, commercially processed meats. Very small shops may lack the financial resources and food safety training that large companies apply on a day-to-day basis.

Thanks to a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Auburn University researchers are addressing the gaps between knowledge and practice in the production and distribution of local and regional goods, with the goal of ensuring a more secure and safe food chain.

Christy Bratcher—lead researcher, College of Agriculture professor and director of the Food Systems Institute—is working to make sure locally produced meat is safe to eat. Bratcher began her research project by going to farms where cattle are raised for commercial harvests and direct sales. 

“We looked at E. coli prevalence in addition to feeding, bedding and working chutes, along with environmental swabbing,” Bratcher says. “We collected fecal samples and water samples from any streams or ponds that these animals had access to, and we found higher levels of E. coli in water to which cattle had access, which wasn’t a surprise.”

While the E. coli investigated for Bratcher’s research product are not typically harmful to cattle, certain species are known pathogens to humans. 

Bratcher found the biggest problem faced by local producers was keeping their facilities sanitary. Her research colleague for this portion of the project was Manpreet Singh, formerly of Purdue University, and now at the University of Georgia. They looked at federally inspected, small regional facilities, state-inspected very small regional facilities and very small local facilities. 

“While all had E. coli positive samples prior to processing, the concern is the overall reduction in the pathogen by the time all of the harvesting steps have been done and the carcass reaches the final chilling step,” says Bratcher. “For the small and very small regional facilities, there was no detectable E. coli at the end of the harvest process, while in the very small local facilities, there were still some positive carcasses.”

Bratcher notes that large production facilities can afford to invest in intervention strategies, such as steam pasteurization cabinets to make sure E. coli and other pathogens aren’t transferred from feces and intestinal contents to the meat.

“Small and very small facilities do not have as many resources, and while there are definitely fairly inexpensive ways to assure a safe and wholesome product, many of the facilities have untrained employees who could use some extra training in processing practices and a clear understanding that their every activity in the processing has a potential to impact the safety of the product for the end consumer,” says Bratcher.

To assist local producers in reducing the amount of E. coli transferred to beef in a harvest facility, Bratcher’s team put together a series of Alabama Cooperative Extension System talks on sanitary design to present to producers and packaging plants. “We gave them suggestions on steps they should take when harvesting an animal to make sure everything is sanitary,” she adds.

Bratcher also partnered with the Auburn University Lambert-Powell Meat Laboratory staff and Regional Extension Agent Alex Tigue to develop a butchery school to train producers on proper sanitary design in facilities and education for processing meat, which is expected to start in 2019.


E. coli not the only culprit

This past summer has produced a large number of multi-state Salmonella outbreaks, which according to the CDC, have not only been caused by consumer food products but also by consumers who keep small flocks of backyard chickens. 

While the original intent of Bratcher’s project was to look for the presence of E. coli in beef cattle, she found—while conducting this study—another potential issue, the presence of poultry animals in close proximity to cattle. So Bratcher extended her research to include Salmonella as well.

Bratcher and her researchers found that Salmonella was present on cattle farms where chickens and turkeys were present. 

“We found some linkage between the amount of Salmonella that was on these farms and the amount of Salmonella that was in the water, and we also picked up some positive samples where cattle were located,” says Bratcher.

Bratcher’s team looked for ways of transmission of Salmonella from a cow’s GI tract into the meat. 

“We found that cattle infected with Salmonella sometimes do not appear sick enough for anyone to realize that they shouldn’t be harvested for food,” says Bratcher. “So we want to find out if there’s anything we can do to reduce the amount of Salmonella in those animals.”

This article was originally posted on www.foodengineeringmag.com.
KEYWORDS: E. coli local food movement meat processing

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Wayne labs 200px
Wayne Labs has more than 20 years of editorial experience in industrial automation. He served as senior technical editor for I&CS/Control Solutions magazine for 18 years where he covered software, control system hardware and sensors/transmitters. Labs ran his own consulting business and contributed feature articles to Electronic Design, Control, Control Design, Industrial Networking and Food Engineering magazines. Before joining Food Engineering, he served as a senior technical editor for Omega Engineering Inc. Labs also worked in wireless systems and served as a field engineer for GE’s Mobile Communications Division and as a systems engineer for Bucks County Emergency Services. In addition to writing technical feature articles, Wayne covers FE’s Engineering R&D section.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Testing & Analysis
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Training
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Management
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Subscribe For Free!
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

Top view of several sandwiches

FDA Provides Update on Listeria Outbreak Related to Products of Fresh & Ready Foods LLC

Image of container spilling red powder

FDA Approves Three Food Colors from Natural Sources

FSM podcast

Ep. 193. Christian Ararat: A Global Perspective on Auditing, Certifications, AI, and Beyond

Events

June 12, 2025

Additive Bans Ahead: Your Guide to Avoiding Risk and Maintaining Agility

Live: June 12, 2025 at 12:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn how ingredient bans will impact product development, labeling, and sourcing.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • Michael Taylor at the Food Safety Summit

    Crises still drive food safety in U.S.

    See More
  • 2017 Plant Construction Survey

    Food Plant Construction Survey: Safety, consumers drive expansion

    See More
  • Top 5 Types of Emphasis Programs used by OSHA in Plant Inspections

    OSHA, FSIS and worker safety

    See More
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing