Ep. 35. John Butts: Listeria—Seek and Destroy

10/09/18 • 61 min

John Butts is the vice president of research at Land O’Frost. He first joined the company in 1974. His focus there includes the application of scientific principles and quality management technology to develop sanitation process control methods and procedures. John is mostly known for the development of the “seek and destroy” process controls for Listeria which has been adopted throughout the food industry. He is a leading expert on sanitary design and food safety culture and has given over 100 presentations including the North American Meat Institute Listeria Intervention and Control workshops. John is also the founder and president of FoodSafetyByDesign LLC, a private consulting firm he established in 2010. There, he aims to help producers of high-risk products learn how to prevent and manage food safety risks. Listeners can reach him directly by emailing him at [email protected]. Finally, John is a longtime member of the Food Safety Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, along with having written numerous articles for the publication. He received the FSM Distinguished Service Award in 2006. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to John Butts about:

The many reasons why Listeria is no longer prevalent in meat
The importance of physical barriers and hygienic zoning within a food facility
Why Listeria is so problematic in both wet and dry environments
The proper processes of cleaning, sanitizing, disassembling equipment, and surface sampling
Problems associated with cleaning and disassembling equipment
Where Listeria actually comes from, and where it's commonly found
The definition of a harborage site
Unique ways to sanitize food facility equipment
The importance of having a multidisciplinary team in place
Sanitary design, sampling, and how keeping up with these tasks can save money
The three fundamental types of sampling

Food Safety Magazine articles written by (or featuring) John Butts: Land O’Frost: Breaking Ground in Sanitary Facility Design

The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Processing

Seek & Destroy: Identifying and Controlling Listeria monocytogenes Growth Niches

The Journey to a State of Control

News Mentioned in This Episode: Walmart's Blockchain Food Traceability Initiative FDA Recall/Retail Disclosure Draft Guidance (includes instructions to submit public comments) Congresswoman DeLauro Questions Ground Beef Recall Timeline

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The many reasons why Listeria is no longer prevalent in meat
The importance of physical barriers and hygienic zoning within a food facility
Why Listeria is so problematic in both wet and dry environments
The proper processes of cleaning, sanitizing, disassembling equipment, and surface sampling
Problems associated with cleaning and disassembling equipment
Where Listeria actually comes from, and where it's commonly found
The definition of a harborage site
Unique ways to sanitize food facility equipment
The importance of having a multidisciplinary team in place
Sanitary design, sampling, and how keeping up with these tasks can save money
The three fundamental types of sampling

Food Safety Magazine articles written by (or featuring) John Butts: Land O’Frost: Breaking Ground in Sanitary Facility Design

The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Processing

Seek & Destroy: Identifying and Controlling Listeria monocytogenes Growth Niches

The Journey to a State of Control

Keep Up with Food Safety Magazine Follow Us on Twitter @FoodSafetyMag, and on Facebook Subscribe to our magazine, and our bi-weekly eNewsletter

Email us at [email protected]
Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us at [email protected]
Leave us a voicemail at 747.231.6730

Previous Episode

Neogen: Why AOAC?

In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, representatives from Neogen and AOAC INTERNATIONAL discuss the benefits of having testing methods and kits independently approved and certified.

You will learn all about the beginnings of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, how the organization has evolved, and what it means for a company within the food industry to be an affiliate member.

To help us better understand why AOAC INTERNATIONAL membership is a plus, our editorial director, Barbara Van Renterghem, spoke with two experts from both sides of the fence. Dave Schmidt is AOAC INTERNATIONAL's new executive director as of May 1, 2018. Prior to joining AOAC, he was principal consultant for Schmidt Commonwealth Strategies, LLC. From 2006 to 2015, he served as president CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and CEO of the IFIC Foundation in Washington, D.C. He joined IFIC in 1993 and held positions from director to executive vice president prior to being elected CEO. Dave also served as the first Bush Administration's director of external affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service where he addressed food safety and nutrition issues and managed the inspection agency’s media, legislative, and consumer education programs. He also gained a thorough understanding of the food industry in previous sales positions with Oscar Mayer Foods, Pepsi-Cola USA, and Canada Dry Corp. He holds a B.A. in business administration from Vanderbilt University, and completed graduate business studies at the University of New Orleans. He has also served the Town of Leesburg, VA, as a town council member. Dr. Robert Donofrio is the director of food safety research and development for Neogen. He joined Neogen in February of 2016, responsible for the strategic vision, resource management, and coordination of product development activities for the following laboratory groups: Immunodiagnostics, Biochemistry, Neogen Culture Media, Molecular biology, Pathogen Detection and General Microbiology. Dr. Donofrio also oversees the Neogen Validation laboratory which is responsible for performing internal product validation and coordinating third-party product certification and approval through groups such as AOAC, AFNOR, Health Canada, and MicroVal. Dr. Donofrio is also responsible for establishing key collaborations with university and private research centers as well as evaluating novel technologies for potential integration into Neogen’s product portfolio. Prior to Neogen, Dr. Donofrio spent 16 years at NSF International, a public health and safety company. During his tenure at NSF, Dr. Donofrio served as the director of the microbiology lab for over a decade, and then as director of the Applied Research Center for his final 3 years. He was awarded the NSF Star Employee Award in March of 2001 (was nominated for the same award in 2008), and guided his laboratory to the 2006 NSF Team of the Year Award.

Dr. Donofrio obtained his B.S. in biology from the University of Dayton in 1994 and his M.S. in environmental microbiology from Duquesne University in 1996, where he was named Graduate Student of the Year. Dr. Donofrio obtained his doctoral degree in microbiology from Michigan Technological University in May 2009.

Dr. Donofrio has authored dozens of publications for peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, and training materials. He is a full member of the International Association for Food Protection, Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), AOAC, American Society for Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served on the Board of Directors at SIMB for two terms.

In this episode, we speak to Neogen and AOAC INTERNATIONAL about:

AOAC's history, mission, and funding
Future growth opportunities in microbiological testing, dietary supplements, and cannabis
Benefits of being an affiliate member
Method validations offered by AOAC, and options for proprietary methods
AOAC's laboratory proficiency testing program
Performance tested methods program vs. official methods of analysis program
The importance of AOAC approval to an affiliate member
The process of getting a testing method or kit approved by AOAC
Deciding which products will and will not go through the AOAC approval process
Global harmonization efforts
Education and training efforts, particularly for the new generation of scientists
What it's like to partner with AOAC

Resources AOAC Performance Tested Methods (PTM) Program

AOAC Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) Program

AOAC ...

Next Episode

Ep. 36. Mike Cramer: Environmental Monitoring and Listeria Control

Michael Cramer is currently the senior director of food safety and quality assurance with Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. The company was formed through various acquisitions (Multifoods, Specialty Brands, and Windsor Foods) and ultimately the purchase of Windsor Foods by Ajinomoto. He will celebrate his 25th year with the company in October 2018.

Mike is an SQF practitioner, ASQ-certified quality auditor, and a preventive controls-qualified individual. CRC Press published Mike's book “Food Plant Sanitation: Design, Maintenance and Good Manufacturing Practices” (2nd Edition, 2013).

Mike is a graduate of West Chester University in West Chester, PA where he earned a B.Sc. Health Science in 1977. He spent 16 years working with Swift & Company (Armour, Swift – Eckrich, ConAgra) in poultry operations, processed meats and poultry, and corporate food safety and quality assurance.

Finally, Mike has been an esteemed member of Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board since 2001.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Mike Cramer about:

Why Listeria continues to be a challenge in food plants
Qualities that a food facility—and its staff—should have in order to tackle Listeria and environmental monitoring issues
The financial burden of setting up an environmental monitoring program, and why it's necessary
Implementing a program that is designed to look for Listeria spp., not just Listeria monocytogenes
What happens when regulatory inspectors come in to conduct swabbing
The pros and cons of testing in an in-house lab vs. a third-party lab
Testing methodologies: cultural method, polymerase chain reaction, VIDAS, lateral flow devices, etc.
What should happen when positive test results are confirmed
The Ishikawa process and how it relates to getting to the root cause of environmental problems
The importance of having a cross-functional team in place to attack Listeria harborage from all angles and departments
Implementing chemical and mechanical actions to rid a plant of biofilm
How the dirtiest areas of a food facility don't automatically equal Listeria contamination
Sanitary design and hygienic design
Quat, peroxyacetic acid, chlorine dioxide, silver dihydrous chloride, and other options for sanitizing
Taking advantage of industry conferences, events, and new technologies to hone in on what a particular food business needs to know to improve food safety operations