Protecting consumers and enhancing the reputation of the food industry

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By Richard Plowright managing director New Zealand Medical & Scientific

As the pages of this fine publication constantly demonstrate, the food production industry in New Zealand spans many levels of scale, innovation, technology, variety and complexity. It markets its products all over the globe and is held in high regard both locally and internationally. This is no accident and stems from the considerable attention paid to both quality and safety but as we all know however, good reputations are hard won and easily squandered.

New Zealand Medical and Scientific Ltd has been proud to have been involved in this sector over the past three decades. Initially this was on the research, production and process side with ultrafiltration and chromatography molecular separation systems, but, since the late ‘80s our main foodtech activity has centred on microbiology.

Our involvement began simply with Dimanco dip and contact slides and Medical Wire swabs but soon advanced to add the newly developed ATP-bioluminescence bacteria detection systems, which were greatly shortening the time taken from sampling to the confirmation of results. Back then in New Zealand this method was primarily used for rapidly confirming the sterility of UHT milk, avoiding shipping delays and thereby allowing reduced inventory levels. Of course, the dairy industry had always needed to pay close attention to bacterial contamination.

At the same time the meat industry was actively involved in improving hygiene standards through the activities of bodies such as MIRINZ and the maintenance of the MIMMS Manual. Likewise, there was a growing recognition and adoption of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point practices (HACCP) and technology advances in the bacterial detection tool armamentarium were both permitting and enabling these to occur. The seafood, and processed and packaged foods sectors were also facing similar challenges and the regulatory responsibilities were becoming more onerous.

Outbreaks of listeriosis and salmonellosis and the resulting human illness, negative publicity and financial cost, further underlined the need for continuing technological and hygiene protocol and monitoring development. The recent international issues with the various E. coli O15:H7, STEC strains have posed challenges for our meat producers and others, especially if the USA is the intended export market.

As has been the case in the medical pathology laboratory environment, the ability to rapidly detect and identify these pathogens with great sensitivity and specificity is improving all the time – instruments are becoming smaller and hence more portable – IT and communication system advances are allowing rapid communication and analysis of results allowing remedial action and containment to be achieved much more quickly. In-the-field or in-line process monitoring has allowed greater immediacy and better staff engagement and responsibility.

All of this confers a range of benefits on the food production sector. Consumer safety and confidence is enhanced, production processes can be better managed and improved, compliance with national and international food safety regulations can be efficiently achieved, spoilage can be reduced and shelf life extended, inventories can be better managed, the list goes on and on.

From the perspective of a company supplying these tools the journey from new method concept to market adoption is often a slow and convoluted one. Historically field microbiology has been a practice based on traditional methods, moving on from agar and the petri dish sometimes was a difficult step to take. Evaluating the cost benefit of any new and, so called, rapid method was influenced by the desire to continue to use already existing laboratory facilities and staff. New Zealand Medical & Scientific Ltd and our Australian subsidiary Australasian Medical & Scientific Ltd has always endeavoured to identify and persevere with these new technologies. If their benefits can eventually be recognised they will eventually be adopted.

Gradually the benefits of newer methods have indeed been recognised and exciting technologies such as lateral flow, ELISA and PCR are already approved around the world as the need for a greater capacity to differentiate between bacterial strains becomes necessary. ATP detection technology is now routinely used in HACCP protocols utilising sophisticated hand-held devices capable of downloading data and supported by software packages enabling the collection, analysis and utilisation of results.

In spite of these advances, microbiological monitoring of food production processes is often seen as just a cost and something that can be dispensed with once production, hygiene and cleaning regimens are refined. The risks, nonetheless, remain ever present and the consequences of a product recall, or worse, consumer infection and harm, can be catastrophic. Fortunately, over time, awareness is growing and, coupled with food safety regulations, both nationally and internationally, the safety of consumers and the good reputation of the New Zealand food manufacturers is being preserved.

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