Food plant managers have been cautioned that washing down floor drains with high-pressure equipment could make it easier for Listeria monocytogenes to transfer from the outlet back onto the processing line.
The study by researchers from the Food Safety Consortium at Kansas State University said their previous work had already established that open floor drains in processing facilities can harbour bacteria.
Bacteria transfer
But latest research has found that aerosols “generated by the washing can transfer the bacterial cells away from the drain as intended but onto surfaces where food is being processed a few feet above the floor”, said study author Jasdeep Saini.
To read the rest of this article, please go to: Meat Process.com