Assessment of Sanitation Practices for the Control of Listeria monocytogenes at Small and Very Small Ready-To-Eat Meat and Poultry Processors

Listeria's ubiquitous nature and resilience allow it to remain and multiply in food processing facilities for years creating challenges, particularly for the ready-to-eat (RTE) food industry. Large processing operations often have the capital to execute many of the FDA and USDA best sanitation practices for controlling Listeria; however, financial and structural limitations preclude small and very small RTE processors from fully embracing these guidelines past a minimum implementation. Although there are numerous studies detailing guidance on controlling Listeria in food processing plants, there is little research on small and very small RTE meat and poultry processors that align sanitation practices for controlling Listeria with their current abilities. Therefore, this study's objective was to assess the extent of recommended sanitary control methods used by eight small and very small RTE processors in Michigan. The results indicate that the prevalence of Listeria can be reduced in small and very small RTE meat and poultry processing facilities while staying within their financial and structural limitations.