The Positives of Pathogen Positives
All positive pathogen results MUST be bad, right? Not so fast!
For those involved in food safety, it sometimes feels as if we have forgotten the purpose of testing. For some, it has become a check-the-box activity that must be performed to avoid legal liability, regulatory action, or to meet a customer requirement, and which is expected to provide a continuous stream of negative results. This overlooks its original purpose as a valuable activity to verify the effective performance of all aspects of a processor’s food safety program.
Presumptive and/or confirmed positive pathogen test results are occasionally seen and must be reported with environmental samples and with finished products or ingredients. The consequences of a positive at times can be very costly and painful for the company involved and therefore may be met with denial, skepticism, and fear. While the negative financial and often legal impacts of positive results are constantly emphasized, the benefits of finding pathogens are rarely mentioned.
In this presentation, Dr. DeMarco illustrates how positive pathogen results can be used to make real improvements in processes, facilitating a safer production environment with lower overall contamination risks and safer food for the consumer. By the end of the presentation, you should have a new understanding that positive pathogen test results should be welcomed, maybe even loved.
Original air date: July 12, 2023
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction and Background
08:08 The Purpose of pathogen Testing
19:02 Approaches to Pathogen Testing
24:44 The Zen of Food Pathogen Testing
31:13 Conclusions and Summary
33:10 Q&A