Oregon's Experience With Microbiological Standards for Meat

Abstract

Oregon is the first state to establish microbiological standards for meat products at the retail level. Using data from sampling results of a 1972 survey of meat products sold at retail, microbiological standards for meat were adopted at a public hearing effective May 1, 1973. The standards as adopted set a limit of 5 million aerobic plate count (APC) per gram for fresh or frozen meats (including ground and whole cuts) and 1 million organisms (APC) for processed (cooked) meats. The limit for Escherichia coli is 50 per gram for fresh or frozen meat products and 10 per gram for processed meats. The APC provision does not apply to meat food products that have been fermented or inoculated. Prepackaged samples are obtained from retail display cases on a scheduled basis and shipped to the department laboratory for analysis. Enforcement policy is to take penalty action on the third successive standard violation of the same product. On 1830 samples in 1974, there were three APC and eight E. coli enforcement actions taken on fresh ground meat products and none on processed meats. Less than 1% of all samples collected resulted in ultimate enforcement action. Microbiological results to date indicate a decline in the number exceeding standards. Improvement in sanitary conditions of retail meat markets is evidenced by a decrease in the number of items checked for violation of the sanitation standards. Bacterial standards are proving to be a useful tool for meat market operators to relate clean meat handling practices and proper temperature control to compliance with the standards.