Meat-processing plants

Food processing firms producing heat-preserved, frozen, dehydrated, or chemically preserved foods may be classified by their finished products. Companies may be further grouped based on whether they process raw materials into ingredients, such as in poultry and meat processing plants, or whether they take these ingredients and convert them to ready-to-eat consumer products. 

The 1993 Jack-in-the-Box epidemic caused by E. coli, which received widespread media attention, brought concern for food protection and preparation into the national limelight. Hamburger meat contaminated in meat processing plants was identified as the possible source of infection. Over 400 people became ill and four children died as a result of consuming the contaminated meat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1993). 

A 100,000-gal per day protein-contaminated wastewater with a COD of 4000 mg/L is generated by a meat-processing plant. This waste is to be treated by the anaerobic contact process using a loading of 0.15 IbCOD/tf day and a sludge detention time of 20 days. Assuming 80% efficiency, determine/provide the following ... 

Use Linings in interiors of containers that haul dry bulk ladings of edibles or chemicals. Complies with FDA regulations. Accepted by the Meat Inspection Division of the USDA for interiors of freight cars, motor trucks, and trailers and in federally inspected meat-processing plants. 

Still another approach was the establishment of a fulltime, on-site inspection program for laboratories similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture s inspections of meat-processing plants. Such a program was considered to be an inefficient use of the FDA s investigational resources, because many testing facilities are too small or too diversified to justify full-time, on-site monitoring. 

Viral and bacterial organisms account for most episodes of infectious diarrhea. Common causative bacterial organisms include Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, and Escherichia coli. Food-borne bacterial infection is amajor concern, as several major food poisoning episodes have occurred that were traced to poor sanitary conditions in meat-processing plants. Acute viral infections are attributed mostly to the Norwalk and rotavirus groups. 

Samelis, J. and Metaxopoulos, J. 1999. Incidence and principle sources of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in processed meats and a meat processing plant. Food Microbiology 16 465 77. 

ME Stiles, AZ Sheena. Efficacy of germicidal handwash agents in use in a meat processing plant. J Food Prot 50(4) 289-295, 1987. 

In the United States, Q fever outbreaks have resulted mainly from occupational exposure involving veterinarians, meat processing plant workers, sheep and dairy workers, livestock farmers, and researchers at facilities housing sheep. Prevention and control efforts should be directed primarily toward these groups and environments. 

USDA Classification of Hand Soaps/Sanitizers for Use in Meat-Processing Plants... 

Culture for Candida organisms from the interdigital spaces of 111 workers in a meat processing plant in Poland showed the presence of 42 strains of Candida. It was suggested that the Candida organisms could aggravate existing gut eczema (Niczyporuk and Krajewska-Kulak 1990). 

The food industry also contributes significantly to the total volume of waste water (mainly from meat processing plants, sugar refineries, breweries and dairies). 

After the Second World War for the increased meat production were inadequate the traditional sources of feed-protein (fish meal and scarps from meat-processing plants) to meet these increases in demand. Therefore in this time the USA has started growing soybeans on large scale, primarily for their oil and for the toasted, defatted meal, used as animal feed. 

Bjorkroth, K.J. and Korkeala, H.J. (1997) Use of rRNA gene restriction patterns to evaluate lactic acid bacterium contamination of vacuum-packaged sliced cooked whole-meat product in a meat processing plant. Appl Environ Microbiol 63, 448-453. 

Take jobs in construction, manufacturing, mining, and most types of businesses that prepare products to be sold, such as meat processing plants. 

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