The impact of performance-based sanitation systems on the microbiological characteristics of poultry processing equipment and carcasses as compared to traditional sanitation standard operating procedures and systems

Poultry processing facilities in the United States are subject to daily government oversight for sanitation practices from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Adherence to sanitation standards, as listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR Part 416), has traditionally required the following at minimum: 1) equipment disassembly (complete or partial) followed by cleaning and sanitizing prior to operations at least once every 24 hour period, and 2) operational controls to maintain the cleanliness of processing equipment to the extent necessary to prevent insanitary conditions or adulteration of product. However, the poultry industry and FSIS have recently tested alternative sanitation systems in some facilities, in which cleaning, sanitizing, disassembly of equipment, and other sanitation procedures are conducted as often as necessary to maintain sanitary conditions. Frequently referred to as the Performance-Based Sanitation (PBS) system, this program is typically based on extensive microbiological testing both prior to and during operations to measure sanitation system effectiveness.;Sanitation systems were evaluated in a typical young broiler processing plant, comparing the traditional sanitation (TS) system to the PBS system. Microbiological baseline indicator data were collected for 30 days under the TS system on surfaces of equipment prior to operations and during production using environmental swab samples analyzed for aerobic plate count (APC). Also, carcass rinses were conducted and analyzed for APC, generic Escherichia coli and the presence of Salmonella species. To compare the sanitation effectiveness under the PBS system to the TS programs, the same microbiological tests were conducted at the same frequencies during an additional 30-day period under the new PBS cleaning program. The microbiological results indicated that that sanitation protocols under the PBS system and the TS system achieved comparable results and sanitation effectiveness. This study demonstrated that PBS can be a viable alternative to TS programs in poultry processing facilities. In addition, the PBS system provides increased microbiological performance data that can be used for ongoing continuous improvement in sanitation system effectiveness and efficiencies.