Reducing Risk of Campylobacteriosis from Poultry: A Mini Review

Abstract

The worldwide annual cost of campylobacteriosis is at least several billion dollars. Risk analysis is being used to reduce the magnitude of the problem and to support regulations and voluntary actions that are successful in that the number of cases of illness is decreasing. The new regulations in the U.S. have resulted in commercial products with fewer Campylobacter. During the last 16 years there has been significant progress in New Zealand because of new regulations that have resulted in reduced numbers of Campylobacter on marketed products. While some progress has been made in reducing cross contamination, it remains an important issue. Food safety education on the general principles of food hygiene and food handling as well as applications of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles in food safety management are recommended to address the challenges associated with cross contamination. Economic analysis of campylobacteriosis and the poultry meat industry shows that there are significant benefits of addressing the challenges associated with Campylobacter in poultry products. Freezing has been shown to be an excellent cost-effective method to reduce the number of viable Campylobacter and the number of cases of campylobacteriosis.