Specific meat safety and quality issues which have received scientific and regulatory attention, as well as publicity, in recent years include: performance- and risk-based inspection activities for meat and poultry products; decontamination of carcasses and meat with physical or chemical interventions; nationwide microbiological baseline surveys for pathogens; the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system; humane treatment of animals; meat composition, quality and palatability; growth and development of meat animals; work-place safety; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; pesticide, hormone, antibiotic and drug residues in carcasses; bans of exports of red meat products to countries such as those of the European Union and Japan due to inspectional differences or safety issues; instrument grading and tenderness assessment of meat; nutritional labeling; food irradiation; product cross-contamination; levels of fat, cholesterol and other lipid components of meat products; detecion and tracking ofbacterial pathogens; animal identification and food tracing; and, control of microbiological pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and Campylobacter. In addition, interest is increasing for adoption of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Quality Standards by various segments of the food industry as they seek equal and fair competition in overseas markets. The Center for Meat Safety & Quality of Colorado State University has available expertise to address all of these issues, and to contribute to enhance of food safety worldwide.
Major research goals, priorities and capabilities of the Center for Meat Safety & Quality are to:
Evaluate potential human health problems from bacterial pathogens
Study the behavior of pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and Campylobacter) in foods
Reduce the incidence of foodborne illness by developing procedures, techniques, and effective interventions for pathogen reduction and control throughout the food chain
Study the molecular ecology and transmission dynamics of human foodborne pathogens
Probe the molecular pathogenesis of human foodborne diseases
Develop and evaluate techniques and biosensors for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens
Improve methodology for detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) specified risk material in animal products;
Examine animal identification and traceability systems for prevention/control of spread of foreign animal diseases, foodborne pathogen incidents/outbreaks and agricultural/food bioterrorism
Reduce—even further—residues of pesticides, other chemicals and toxic compounds (in general) which may find their way into animal food products
Enhance the nutritional contribution of meat to the human diet by reducing fat levels in animal products
Identify value-determining physical characteristics of beef, pork and lamb
Assure that meat products are of appropriate quality and palatability to meet the needs of domestic and international, customers and consumers
Evaluate international trade regulations and develop science-based strategies to ensure exports of high quality, nutritious and safe food products
Develop outreach education materials for industry, regulatory and public health agencies, and consumers to raise awareness of safe food handling practices and help assure that consumers worldwide have access to a dependable supply of safe and high quality food products.
