Are we spoiling our beef industry?
Gillian Hamill examines the increasingly common occurrence of blown pack spoilage (BPS) – a type of spoilage that occurs in vacuum packed meats
Print18 October 2011
Irish beef is currently booming. According to Bord Bia, strong global demand has resulted in Irish beef being able to command prices that are 16% higher than at the same time last year. In fact, exports are presently set to exceed an impressive €1.7 billion. Encouraging news, not just for the Irish beef industry, but for the broader Irish economy. Such statistical success provides a potent example of how to thrive following times of adversity. The beef industry has long since emerged from the shadow cast over it during the dark days of the BSE (mad cow disease) crisis and in 2011 has a much brighter future ahead.
Clouds gathering?
However, according to several sources ShelfLife has spoken to, there is a problem within the industry that should be thoroughly dealt with now, in order to avoid it escalating into a potential issue in the future. The bacterium known as Clostridium estertheticum (part of the Clostridia bacterial group), is potentially widespread within the Irish beef industry, according to Dr Janet Corry of the University of Bristol and Dr Declan Bolton of Teagasc’s Food Research Centre.
The first important point to note about this organism is that in the UK and Ireland it has been classified as “not dangerous to human health.” The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) confirmed to ShelfLife that “Clostridium estertheticum doesn’t cause illness.” High levels of the bacteria are nevertheless worrying. According to a Teagasc report published in October 2009, entitled ‘Control of Blown Pack Spoilage in Vacuum Packaged Meat’ and co-authored by Dr Bolton – Clostridium estertheticum is along with Clostridium gasigenes – the main causative agent of blown pack spoilage (BPS). This type of spoilage certainly sounds fairly gruesome but what exactly does it entail?
Vacuum packaged risks
Blown pack spoilage occurs when meat which houses bacteria from the Clostridium species is vacuum packed. Heat shrinkage of vacuum packs activates the Clostridia spores and significantly speeds up the BPS process. It is not just restricted to beef, but has also occurred in vacuum packaged lamb in Ireland, deer and cooked meat products, particularly cooked pork and turkey. According to one supplier whose beef was affected after being vacuum packed, the symptoms are far from pleasant. When his product was opened, his customers complained of “a very bad sick-like” smell coming from the contaminated meat.
Obviously this had financial implications for the supplier in question as he was forced to recall the affected product batch in its entirety. What’s more, his insurance policy didn’t cover this type of hazard. ShelfLife contacted one insurer, Allianz Insurance, to find out why this should be the case and was told that: “Our understanding of the market is that coverage for replacement of meat product due to inherent defect such as Clostridium is excluded as common practice.” However, Allianz’s group head of marketing, Damien O’Neill, added that: “Most standard policies held by meat suppliers do provide indemnity for deterioration of meat product due to defined perils e.g. breakdown of or damage to refrigeration equipment; failure of public supply of electricity etc.”
Potentially, it is not just the supplier who is affected by this type of spoilage though. Dr Bolton states that, “at present BPS is a spoilage issue and arguably not of interest to the public”. However he adds that the possibility of the end consumer encountering the problem is not altogether out of the question. “As vacuum package beef products (used to extend the shelf-life of more expensive cuts) become more common at retail level, consumers may well encounter blown packs on the supermarket shelves,” he notes.
Cause for concern
The food safety status of the Clostridium genus could also potentially change in the future if further tests are conducted. “To the best of my knowledge the known BPS Clostridial species have not been assessed for pathogenicity,” adds Dr Bolton. “If this work was undertaken and demonstrated a risk to consumer health then the situation would change.”
The thought of consumers encountering this spoilage – especially if future tests showed it did in fact pose a danger to human health – would undoubtedly prove a worrying prospect for retailers. Yet to put the problem into context, Dr Corry and Dr Bolton have both told ShelfLife they believe Clostridium estertheticum is also commonly found in processing plants in the UK. “I understand from talking to people involved in the UK beef industry that BPS is a significant problem,” says Bolton.
There are also a number of hygienic measures that can be taken to limit the bacteria’s prevalence and the subsequent occurrence of BPS. Teagasc’s October 2009 report concludes that “the risk of BPS is best managed through a process of regular treatments of plant and equipment with a sporicidal agent such as peroxyacetic acid, good hygiene to minimise carcass contamination and removal of the heat shrinkage stage during vacuum packaging as this activates the spores and reduces the time to spoilage.”
Dr Janet Corry comments: “In addition, in order to avoid introducing it into the abattoir, any meat bought in from other companies should be checked carefully for contamination. This can be done by a careful audit, by requiring the supplier to have their product tested for clostridium estertheticum, and by testing themselves. Several laboratories, including my own offer rapid and sensitive tests. Checks from the inside of vac-packing machines before and after cleaning, as well as on samples of vac-packed meat during storage are examples of useful methods of monitoring for the problem.”
Is self-regulation enough?
At present, it is left to the industry to self-regulate the extent to which they follow the experts’ advice. However, given the potentially serious consequences of meat being contaminated with Clostridium estertheticum, should the government introduce more stringent legislation to limit its existence? Dr Janet Corry doesn’t think so. “I do not think government regulation is appropriate for controlling a spoilage problem,” she notes. “Companies have enough motivation to organise themselves to control Clostridium estertheticum spoilage because spoilage incidents can cause big financial losses.” Dr Bolton agrees governmental regulation is not necessary, “not as long as BPS remains a non-food safety issue”.
Perhaps unsurprisingly however, this is not the viewpoint undertaken by the supplier who told ShelfLife he himself was supplied with meat contaminated by Clostridium estertheticum, and that this had left him in severe financial straights. “I would like to see the industry take responsibility for their products,” he said. “The government must get involved in this, as their current attitude of “standing on the sidelines” does not work.”
Bringing BPS into the public arena
While this supplier concedes that he was personally affected by an episode of BPS, ShelfLife was eager to hear why he was so keen to bring this issue into the public arena. He said: “I know we are all on tight budgets. I am very aware that when we go into the supermarkets, we need to look for bargains. But do we need to take these risks? Pre-packed meat is more likely to be contaminated than not, given just how pervasive Clostridia are.”
When further asked what he hoped to achieve by making a wider audience aware of the problem, he added that: “I am hoping to get the attention of the guardians of our industry, hoping to finally negotiate a resolution to my own problems as a result of this episode. I would also like to see the first steps taken towards a real system of testing and reporting, so that the problem can be properly assessed. No one in the industry wants to admit that they have the problem once it occurs because of the implications. At least if the authorities are being seen to do something about it, the status of Irish beef can be preserved.”
Less secrecy imperative
On the subject of industry players not wanting to admit Clostridia outbreaks, Dr Janet Corry concurs that a greater degree of openness is needed between meat companies. “We have some companies that seem to be more successful than others [in the UK] at controlling the problem, and I think the situation is similar in Ireland. Part of the problem in both countries is that companies are reluctant to admit to each other that they have the problem – what is needed is for the meat industry in both countries to work together to tackle the problem. Our UK government is not really interested in the problem – they concentrate on pathogens, particularly E. coli 0157:H7, salmonella and campylobacter associated with raw meat. Other countries which export vac-packed meat, including New Zealand and Brazil also have similar problems.”
Another solution was alluded to in Teagasc’s 2009 report when it concluded that BPS could be best managed through “removal of the heat shrinkage stage during vacuum packaging.” ShelfLife asked Dr Corry if she thought removing heat shrinkage would prove a viable option. She replied she was “sceptical” that this would have a significant effect on blown pack spoilage. “The only effective method of controlling the problem is either to reduce the contamination to a very low level, or to avoid vac-packing altogether.” Dr Bolton confirmed this outlook moreover, stating: “heat shrinkage is necessary as there are issues with drip loss (when the packs are not tight), and corners on packs getting caught in conveyor belts, etc. A packaging film capable of shrinkage at reduced temperatures (eg. 50°C) would help solve this problem.”
The good news is that a “comprehensive solution” to the Clostridia problem has already been formulated. According to Bolton: “Teagasc and the Irish beef industry recently reviewed the current BPS situation and developed a comprehensive strategy to solve the problem once and for all.” This plan requires five key areas of research and development (see panel).
Action must be taken
ShelfLife then asked Dr Bolton if he believed there would be a large investment required for companies to reduce the presence of Clostridium estertheticum in their plants. He replied he was unable to answer this question without the research he mentioned being conducted. “However, the deliverables from the proposed research would be cheap, cost-effective and easy to use.”
Further positive news is that he describes the industry response to Teagasc’s 2009 report as “positive”. Nevertheless, he adds that “they are well aware that to date there has been insufficient investment in the development of solutions to blown pack spoilage and further work is urgently required.”
Based on this information, it appears imperative that the Clostridia problem is no longer covertly brushed under the carpet of Ireland’s beef industry – otherwise its prevalence will simply mount. As Dr Bolton concludes: “Anecdotal evidence (BPS data is considered commercially sensitive and neither shared not published) would suggest that we have a significant problem in Ireland that is getting progressively worse and should be resolved once and for all.”
Combating the problem
Teagasc and the Irish beef industry have developed a comprehensive strategy that would permanently solve the problem of blown pack spoilage (BPS). This plan would require five key areas of research and development:
- The role of farming activities/husbandry practices in the proliferation and dissemination of BPS Clostridial spores
- Metagenomic analysis of the bacteria flora on beef cuts to identify the complete range of potential BPS causative organisms and provide an insight into the interplay between different bacteria in the prevention/promotion of BPS
- The development of scientifically validated plant and equipment disinfection procedures;
- The development and patenting of an early warning technology that would signal an imminent spoilage event allowing for repackaging in MAP or other packs
- An assessment of the food safety implications of BPS
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