Microbiological Specifications for retail meat products 06 / 07

Summary

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has facilitated consultations on microbiological criteria for raw meat in the retail supply chain. The team included microbiologists, processors, retailers and marketers which met to consider microbiological guidelines suitable for meat processors. The purpose of this document was to record the principles used in the guideline-setting process. Two approaches were taken to the setting of criteria and assessment of whether raw meats could conform to the shelf-life requirements of a retail supply chain.
One approach used initial levels of contamination frequently achieved by abattoirs and judged product as acceptable or not at the end of shelf-life. The second approach used several different initial levels of contamination and then calculated the likely remaining shelf-life past the end of that expected. Both approaches used predictive microbiology and general rules of thumb that anyone setting specifications and shelf-life periods, will find useful. The project also examines the microbiological quality of meat from Australian abattoirs against international standards and guidelines and suggests that, if the current commercial shelf-life is satisfactory, then the standards being achieved by the industry are satisfactory. It is believed that the process followed here can be used on an industry-wide basis, providing that the analysis is tailored to a specific supply chain.