Surveillance of Salmonella contamination of pig carcasses through own-check undertaken at the slaughterhouse

Salmonellosis is the major cause of foodborne outbreaks caused by bacteria in Europe. In 2014, the European Commission reinforced the supervision of this contamination in the pig sector. In this context, the General Directorate for Food implemented a new system to centralise regulatory own-check for Salmonella in pig carcasses. The results provide an estimate of the level of contamination of carcasses, at national level and for each slaughterhouse. Variability in levels of contamination can be associated with risk factors, which could be the subject of dedicated studies. These results are intended to be transmitted each year to the European Food Safety Authority for comparison among Member States. They could also be used at national level to raise the awareness of stakeholders.
English
Theme: 
Publication date: 
Monday, March 12, 2018
Author: 
Sabine Itié-Hafez, Alain Le Roux, Françoise Chartier, Daniel Fort, Corinne Danan
Keyword: 
Salmonella
Carcasses
Pigs
Slaughterhouses
Own-check