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The goal of the PI's research in this area is to enhance the microbial safety and quality of meat and poultry products purchased by consumers at retail grocery store outlets. The objectives of the proposed study are: <ol> <LI>To evaluate the efficacy of the federal guidelines for the reduction of Salmonella, pathogenic E. coli, and Campylobacter contamination of meat and poultry products at retail grocery outlets; <LI>To determine the awareness and adoption rate of the federal HACCP guidelines for retail grocery establishments; <LI>To identify risk factors for increased Salmonella contamination of meat and poultry products at retail grocery outlets; <LI>A repeated measures cross-sectional study with a nested case-control design will be used to estimate the prevalence, distribution and risk factors for bacterial contamination of retail meat and poultry in Champaign County.
Non-Technical Summary: A survey and case-control study will be used to evaluate the adoption rate and efficacy of the voluntary federal HACCP guidelines for the reduction of bacterial contamination of meat and poultry products at retail grocery outlets. This study will provide an estimate of the level of compliance with food safety guidelines and identify risk factors associated with contamination at retail outlets. In its final report the Illinois Food Safety Task Force recommended that all retail-level food establishments be inspected and that uniform compliance tools be developed for inspection and enforcement activities associated with retail level food establishments. The July 2005 publication of manuals that offer HACCP-based food safety guidelines for operators of retail establishments and a companion manual for inspectors of retail establishments provides a means to offer uniform protocols and standardized assessment of food safety at retail grocery outlets. This study will provide a foundation for the identification of weaknesses in current methods for raw meat handling and storage in retail outlets, and evaluate the efficacy of the newly released guidelines. Implementation of these measures should result in reduced overall bacterial contamination levels of retail meat products, leading to reductions in foodborne disease and enhanced consumer confidence in the safety and quality of meat sold at their local grocery store. <P> Approach: The cross-sectional study will provide an estimate of the prevalence and distribution of contamination in retail meat using a stratified random sample of 60 retail meat samples. The nested case-control study will include intensive environmental sampling of 10 stores to identify risk factors associated with an increased prevalence of contamination at retail outlets. Multivariable regression techniques will be used to determine the association between risk factors and the rate of sample contamination.