Salmonella risk decreased by over 70 percent
With the start of the QS system, everyone involved made it their task to reduce the entry of salmonella in the meat and meat products production chain to a minimum. With success: the number of positive samples is continuously decreasing. The proportion of pig farms with a high salmonella risk has fallen from 5,8 percent in 2005 to 1,6 percent at the beginning of 2021. This corresponds to a decrease of 72 percent and represents the lowest level since the start of salmonella monitoring in the QS scheme. At the same time, the number of people suffering from salmonellosis in Germany has fallen significantly in recent years.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 2001 people fell ill with a gastrointestinal disease caused by Salmonella in 76.990, but only 2020 cases were registered in the German health authorities in 8.743. "Because salmonella is one of the most common causes of serious stomach and intestinal diseases, the meat production chain is still required to be particularly vigilant when it comes to the risks of salmonella," emphasizes Dr. Alexander Hinrichs, managing director of QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH. "As a test system for food safety, even after 20 years we cannot rest on the positive development, but want to continue developing measures and making offers with which our system partners can safeguard and improve food safety along the entire production chain."
Established requirements provide security
Entry risks for Salmonella start with the feed. That is why the feed industry in the QS scheme examines over 10.000 samples for Salmonella every year as part of the QS feed monitoring. The next stage of the value chain is also examined: Every year around 1,5 million meat juice samples are taken from halves of slaughter pigs for salmonella monitoring. The results of the sample tests from the slaughterhouses are recorded and evaluated in the QS salmonella database. Every QS pig fattener receives an evaluation of the salmonella situation in his company once a quarter and must take measures to reduce salmonella pollution if the values are higher. The poultry farmers are also active: every poultry company must submit results of tests for salmonella both when the chicks are housed and before the animals are removed. Only then can these animals be marketed in the QS scheme.
The solution is called "cross-level"
In addition to raising awareness of the topic of salmonella in the feed industry and agriculture, the requirements for salmonella controls in cutting and processing plants continue: minced meat and raw sausages are particularly at risk here. They're high on the list of products that are sampled before they hit retail shelves. "Salmonella are a good example of how successfully the entire value chain can work together to ensure the highest level of safety in fresh food, everyone would not be able to do this on their own," says Hinrichs, summarizing the commitment of all those involved. "The reduction of the salmonella risk in QS companies in relation to the registered salmonellosis diseases confirms that we will be able to solve the central tasks of process quality and food safety across all levels in the future."
