Examination of meat preparations in order to control process hygiene in retail

Abstract

The production and trade of meat preparations (minced meat and semi-finished meat products, including fresh sausages) are registering significant annual increases in Serbia. There is an increasing number of specialized plants, as well as suppliers who directly supply consumers with this type of meat preparation. The aim of this paper is to determine the microbiological risks in the meat preparations production process by taking samples from retail facilities in order to verify HACCP compliance. HACCP systems and good hygiene practices as their pre-requisite programs, require food business operators to identify potential hazards that threaten product safety in order to eliminate or control them. Over 27 months, 297 samples of meat preparations were taken from nine retail stores. Escherichia coli was detected in 5% (16/297) of the meat preparations, and Salmonella spp. were found in 1.6% (5/297). The results obtained are signals for initiating corrective measures in the production processes and improving current sanitary procedures.