Salmonella contamination of turkey from processing to final product--a process to product perspective

Food safety and the development of an understanding of issues surrounding pathogens associated with food is of considerable importance in modern-day food production. The design and use of risk models to estimate the likelihood of human illness has become an important part of our understanding of food safety issues. In order to quantify food safety risks, the first requirement is to estimate the occurrence of the pathogen associated with a particular production system. As such, an assessment of whether interventions significantly reduce these risks can be made. In light of recent events in food production including pathogens in ready to eat foods and outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 associated with produce, the development and implementation of risk models will continue to gain importance in the coming years. This paper focuses on some of the current research ongoing at North Dakota State University to develop a greater understanding of Salmonella as it pertains to turkey production and processing in the Midwest. This overview of studies of Salmonella in turkey production stems from a presentation of research made at the Integrated Risk Studies: Gate to Plate-Current Issues and Future Strategies Conference held in Fargo, ND, May 4-5, 2006.