Steven Weiland is a corporate microbiologist for Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., a Kieler, Wis.-based member of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA). Weiland has more than 10 years of clinical and food microbiology laboratory experience, including isolation/characterization of human pathogens for use in developing and optimizing rapid diagnostic immunoassay test kits.
Microbial hotspots—problem areas or equipment that chronically harbor microbes—are often to blame when a food safety or food quality issue arises in a processing plant. That’s why it’s important for plant managers to address chronic contamination.
If you are experiencing condensation issues in your production facility, consult with a sanitation expert who can help you physically inspect and audit the plant, identify likely problem areas and develop a plan to mitigate them.
There are five words that no one in the food industry ever wants to hear—Listeria positive in finished product. Normally, I would not start a communication with this type of dramatic statement.
