Comparison of european surveillance and control programs for Salmonella in broiler and Turkey chains

For the past years, Salmonella has been one of the major foodborne pathogens in Europe, leading to the development of several control efforts to reduce its impact on human health. Poultry meat has been consistently implicated in foodborne cases of salmonellosis. One of the strategies to lessen the burden of salmonellosis in humans was the implementation of national control programs (NCPs) for Salmonella in broilers and turkeys aiming for reductions in these animal populations. In this paper, a description and comparison of the Salmonella surveillance and control programs that are currently implemented for the broiler and turkey chains in different European countries was performed. All the countries studied have set multiple surveillance and control actions for Salmonella at different stages of the broiler and turkey chains, namely the feed, farm and meat levels. Although most of the control programs are aligned with European Union (EU) regulations, some differences were observed, mostly regarding feed controls, farm surveillance schemes, target serovars and the handling of positive flocks. Overall, these differences had a regional pattern, with the Nordic countries having more detailed control programs with a zero -tolerance in meat. The remaining countries generally follow EU legislation, but in some cases, additional specifications were identified by this study. Despite the positive impact of these control programs on the reduction of human cases of salmonellosis, the decreasing tendency has reached a stall. The authors suggest that the NCPs are regularly revised within the framework of risk -based meat assurance systems, and the inclusion of additional target serovars which are simultaneously prevalent in broiler and turkey flocks and relevant in terms of public health within a country or a region. Furthermore, within the revision of NCPs, sampling schemes and strategies need to be consistent, following the risk management approach that has led to very low prevalences of Salmonella in poultry meat in some European countries

A comparison of European surveillance programs for Campylobacter in broilers

Campylobacter is an important foodborne pathogen as it is associated with significant disease burden across Europe. Among various sources, Campylobacter infections in humans are often related to the consumption of undercooked poultry meat or improper handling of poultry meat. Many European countries have implemented measures to reduce human exposure to Campylobacter from broiler meat. In this paper, surveillance programs implemented in some European countries is summarized. Our findings reveal that many European countries test neck skin samples for Campylobacter as per the Process Hygiene Criterion (PHC) set by the European Regulation. Variations to the legal plan are seen in some countries, as in Norway and Iceland, where weekly sampling is performed during infection peak periods only, or in Iceland, where the Campylobacter limit is set at 500 CFU/g instead of 1000 CFU/g. Furthermore, northern European countries have implemented national Campylobacter surveillance plans. Denmark tests cloaca and leg skin samples at the slaughterhouses and meat samples at the retail, while Finland, Norway, and Sweden test caeca at slaughterhouses. In contrast, Iceland tests feces on farms. Iceland and Norway test flocks close to the slaughter date and when a farm tests positive, competent authority implement measures such as logistic slaughter, heat treatment or freeze the meat from these flocks. In Iceland, frozen meat is further processed prior to being put on the market. While the incidence of campylobacteriosis has declined in all European countries except France since the introduction of PHC in 2018, it is uncertain whether this decrease is due to prevalence reduction or underreporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future in-vestigations with more comprehensive data, devoid of potential confounding factors, are necessary to validate this potential trend. However, it is evident that the implementation of national action plans can be successful in reducing the incidence of human campylobacteriosis, as demonstrated by Iceland

Expert elicitation of remote meat inspection prerequisites in Sweden using best-worst scaling (case 1)

Remote work technologies offer unprecedented flexibility to modernise official meat inspection (MI). Remote meat inspections, alongside on -site controls have a potential to make MI more sustainable when it comes to working conditions, logistic control hurdles and travel -related emissions. Nevertheless, preferences of meat control staff for features and technological set up of remote MI remain unknown. The paper investigates preferences of official Swedish MI staff for different features of remote MI. The study utilises a quantitative method, namely best -worst scaling to compare the relative importance of six aspects of remote inspections: camera location and settings, connectivity, availability of personnel at abattoirs, communication and language, security and fraud prevention, and ability to relay olfaction and haptics. The survey, administered in September - October 2023 was answered by 54.7% of the Swedish meat control staff employed by the Swedish Food Agency. The results show that respondents rate security and fraud prevention (Security) as the most important aspect for remote MI followed by connectivity and camera placement (Camera). Communication and language (Communication) and ability to relay olfaction and haptics (Senses) are considered the least important aspects. The latter findings can be explained by the fact that Official Veterinarians, which represent the majority of respondents (49%), do not routinely communicate directly with slaughter personnel who are often seasonal workers coming from outside Sweden. Moreover, olfaction and haptics could be considered naturally impractical with remote technologies. The study also finds that respondents from different administrative units and job titles have different preferences for the features of remote MI. Respondents from the headquarter generally have higher preferences for connectivity than respondents from other units. Additionally, respondents with more hands-on experience in MI, such as Official Veterinarians, tend to rate security issues higher than respondents with leading or support roles. Overall, it seems possible to meet the control staff expectations and preferences regarding the prerequisites of remote MI by legal and technical adaptations needed for this type of control flexibility

Digitalization and official food safety inspections at retail establishments

Digital technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to modernize official food safety control. Shift from paper- to digital-based systems enable recording and reporting data directly in digital format and further analyze and disclose inspection data. Further to this, digital technologies enable the automatization of processes through rule-based instructions, a fact that could positively influence the consistency of official control. Nevertheless, the extent of the use of digital technologies during official food safety control inspections by competent authorities (CAs) of European Union (EU) countries is not known. For this reason, the aim of this study was to assess the level of use of a digital environment during inspections at retail establishments. This was performed by administering a questionnaire to CAs from EU countries. A total of 88 national, regional or local CAs from 15 EU countries responded to the questionnaire. Of them, 62.5% (55/88) used a digital environment during inspections, the majority to standardize data collection and reporting. CAs autotomize processes through digital technologies related to the management of official control and generation of inspection results, but to a lesser extent to automatize decision-making during inspections. Of the CAs not using a digital environment (37.5%; 33/88), technological constraints and lack of economic resources were the two most prevalent reasons for not using such an environment. The use of digital technologies as decision support tools to standardize official controls and improve consistency and efficiency should be enhanced for the benefit of society

LASTENMUSIIKIN ÄÄNITETUOTANTO : Ongelmia ja kehittämisehdotuksia

Opinnäytetyön toimeksiantaja oli Loiskis ry. Tässä työssä tutkittiin lastenmusiikin äänitetuotannon ongelmia ja etsittiin ratkaisuja niihin. Suomalaisten ammattimuusikoiden ja pienyhtiöiden lasten-musiikkituotantoa ei ole paljon tutkittu. Äänitteiden tuotantotyö jakautuu taiteelliseen, tekniseen ja taloudelliseen tuottamiseen. Usein lastenmusiikin ammattilaiset toteuttavat kaikki tuotannon vaiheet itse. Tuotanto-ongelmien selvittämiseksi haastateltiin seitsemää lastenmusiikin ammattilaista, jotka pien-yhtiöidensä kautta tuottavat lastenlevyjä. Suomalaisen lastenmusiikin tallentaminen on haastateltujen mukaan jäänyt pientuottajien vastuulle, koska esimerkiksi Yleisradio tai levy-yhtiöt eivät sitä tallenna. Tuotannon ongelmat olivat haastattelujen perusteella pääosin samat kuin 20 vuotta sitten Laulujen lunnaat - raportissa todetut eli tiedotus, markkinointi ja myynti. Tuottajat eivät saa musiikkiaan televisio-ohjelmiin, niitä ei soiteta radiokanavilla eikä lehdistö ole kovin kiinnostunut lastenmusiikista tai sen tekijöistä. Siksi markkinointi toteutuu suurelta osin esiintymisten kautta sekä kotisivujen avulla. Valtion ja kuntien virallisiin tavoitteisiin on viime aikoina otettu lastenkulttuurin tukeminen ja tehty uusia avauksia lastenkulttuurin aseman parantamiseksi. Lastenkulttuurin äänitetuotanto saa liiketoiminnaksi miellettynä kuitenkin suhteellisen vähän julkista ja alan järjestöjen tukea. Tekninen kehitys sekä ammattitaitoiset tekijät ovat kuitenkin helpottaneet äänitystyötä niin, että pienyhtiötkin voivat ilman suuria studioita ja kustannuksia tuottaa omat levynsä. Toteuttamiskelpoisia tuotanto-ongelmien ratkaisuehdotuksia löytyi useita: nettikauppa, säännöllinen lastenmusiikin palkitseminen, ammattilaisten yhteistyöverkosto, päättäjien ja tukijoiden sekä toimittajien lastenmusiikin tuntemuksen lisääminen sekä ammattilaisten ja alan muiden toimijoiden jatkuva työnteko lastenkulttuurin puolesta.The thesis was assigned by the assosiation Loiskis. The aim was to uncover problems in children’s music production and present some solutions to those problems. There has been little research into children’s music records produced by Finnish professional musicians or small independent record companies. A musical record production would generally be divided into artistic, technical and financial aspects. The professional children’s musicians deal with all the three aspects of the production themselves. To define the production problems, seven professional children’s musicians were interviewed. They produce children’s music through their small independent record companies. According to the interwiewed professionals Finnish children’s music is recorded mainly by inde-pendent producers, as the Finnish Broadcasting Company or any of the major record companies do not produce children’s records. The problem areas according to the interviewees were mostly the same as those described in the Laulujen Lunnaat –report 20 years ago: promotion, marketing and sales. The producers found it difficult to get visibility for themselves and their songs through television programmes, radio channels or the printed press. Therefore, the marketing is done mainly through live concerts and websites. In the past few years supporting and developing children’s culture has been added to the public agenda both at the local and national level. However, the children’s cultural recording projects are receiving relatively little support from related organisations or from the public sector. Yet the technical development and the skill of the professionals have made it possible for the small independent record companies to produce their own records without big studios. The producers found several feasible solutions to overcome the production problems: online sales, giving frequent rewards to children’s music, creating a network of professional musicians, increasing the awareness of the leaders and supporters around children’s music, and mobilising the professionals and other actors to promote children’s culture

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) in northern Sweden: a cross-sectional study from 2014

BackgroundToxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan that can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The infection with T. gondii, is of particular concern due to its potential impact on human and animal health. In Sweden, semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) is an important species both economically and culturally, but susceptibility to Toxoplasma infection and seroprevalence in reindeer herds remain relatively understudied. Results A total of 528 reindeer, sampled at two slaughterhouses in Sweden in 2014, were investigated for antibodies to T. gondii. Specifc antibodies to T. gondii were found in 5 of 209 (2.3%) tested adult reindeer and in 6 of 308 (1.9%) tested calves, giving an apparent total prevalence of 2.1% (95% confdence interval 1.1–3.8%). None of four putative risk factors studied (sex, age, type of grazing area, county) were statistically associated with T. gondii seroprevalence. Conclusions Swedish semi-domesticated reindeer are exposed to T. gondii and may harbour infectious tissue cysts. To mitigate the risk of T. gondii infection in consumers, reindeer meat should be frozen or cooked thoroughly before consumption. The global climate change may infuence the seroprevalence and possible associated risk factors for T. gondii in reindeer. To be able to manage the risk and get better advice to the consumers there is a need for further investigations covering the whole spectra of herding conditions for reindeer

Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) in northern Sweden: a cross-sectional study from 2014

Background Toxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan that can infect a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The infection with T. gondii, is of particular concern due to its potential impact on human and animal health. In Sweden, semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) is an important species both economically and culturally, but susceptibility to Toxoplasma infection and seroprevalence in reindeer herds remain relatively understudied.Results A total of 528 reindeer, sampled at two slaughterhouses in Sweden in 2014, were investigated for antibodies to T. gondii. Specific antibodies to T. gondii were found in 5 of 209 (2.3%) tested adult reindeer and in 6 of 308 (1.9%) tested calves, giving an apparent total prevalence of 2.1% (95% confidence interval 1.1-3.8%). None of four putative risk factors studied (sex, age, type of grazing area, county) were statistically associated with T. gondii seroprevalence.Conclusions Swedish semi-domesticated reindeer are exposed to T. gondii and may harbour infectious tissue cysts. To mitigate the risk of T. gondii infection in consumers, reindeer meat should be frozen or cooked thoroughly before consumption. The global climate change may influence the seroprevalence and possible associated risk factors for T. gondii in reindeer. To be able to manage the risk and get better advice to the consumers there is a need for further investigations covering the whole spectra of herding conditions for reindeer

Taenia lynciscapreoli in semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus, L.) in Sweden

We report here Taenia lynciscapreoli metacestode from the lung lobe of a semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The specimen was detected within a development project concerning remote post mortem inspection at a reindeer abattoir in Sweden. Post mortem inspection was performed according to a routine on-site official meat inspection protocol. The species identification to T. lynciscapreoli was confirmed based on the DNA extracted from the metacestode, which was analysed by sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1. Firstly, our finding shows that semi-domesticated reindeer in addition to several other cervids can act as an additional intermediate host for T. lynciscapreoli. Secondly, it further confirms that this parasite is more widely distributed on the Scandinavian peninsula than what has previously been shown. This is in line with a previous molecular finding of adult T. lynciscapreoli from the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Sweden and demonstrates that new intermediate host can be detected. Whether the present finding can be regarded as accidental or have created opportunities for an expansion throughout the northernmost Scandinavian Peninsula remains to be seen.We report here Taenia lynciscapreoli metacestode from the lung lobe of a semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). The specimen was detected within a development project concerning remote post mortem inspection at a reindeer abattoir in Sweden. Post mortem inspection was performed according to a routine on-site official meat inspection protocol. The species identification to T. lynciscapreoli was confirmed based on the DNA extracted from the metacestode, which was analysed by sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1. Firstly, our finding shows that semi-domesticated reindeer in addition to several other cervids can act as an additional intermediate host for T. lynciscapreoli. Secondly, it further confirms that this parasite is more widely distributed on the Scandinavian peninsula than what has previously been shown. This is in line with a previous molecular finding of adult T. lynciscapreoli from the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Sweden and demonstrates that new intermediate host can be detected. Whether the present finding can be regarded as accidental or have created opportunities for an expansion throughout the northernmost Scandinavian Peninsula remains to be seen

Evaluating remote post-mortem veterinary meat inspections on pig carcasses using pre-recorded video material

BackgroundOfficial meat inspections at small-scale slaughterhouses and game-handling establishments in geographically remote areas place a heavy burden on the meat-producing food business operators. By performing meat inspections remotely using live-streamed video, instead of on-site, the official control could meet the goals of sustainability, resilience and logistics. We investigated the agreement between the two approaches at pig slaughter. Two official veterinarians (OVs) inspected 400 pig carcasses at a Swedish slaughterhouse, with each pig being inspected on site by one OV and remotely by the other. After a period of 3 to 6 months, video recordings of the remote inspections were assessed again by the same OVs, thus enabling direct comparisons of previous on-site inspections and renewed video-based inspections within the same OV.ResultsAgreement across 22 finding codes was generally very high for both OVs. In all but one case (whether to fully condemn a carcass), for both OVs, Prevalence-Adjusted Bias-Adjusted kappa was well above 0.8, indicating 'almost perfect agreement'.ConclusionsThis study supports earlier findings that reliable post-mortem inspections can be performed using video, and indicates higher agreement between remote and on-site inspections if the same OV performs both

Can we use meat inspection data for animal health and welfare surveillance?

Ante- and post-mortem inspections at abattoir were originally introduced to provide assurance that animal carcasses were fit for human consumption. However, findings at meat inspection can also represent a valuable source of information for animal health and welfare surveillance. Yet, before making secondary use of meat inspection data, it is important to assess that the same post-mortem findings get registered in a consistent way among official meat inspectors across abattoirs, so that the results are as much independent as possible from the abattoir where the inspection is performed. The most frequent findings at official meat inspections of pigs and beef cattle in Sweden were evaluated by means of variance partitioning to quantify the amount of variation in the probabilities of these findings due to abattoir and farm levels. Seven years of data (2012-2018) from 19 abattoirs were included in the study. The results showed that there was a very low variation between abattoirs for presence of liver parasites and abscesses, moderately low variation for pneumonia and greatest variation for injuries and nonspecific findings (e.g., other lesions). This general pattern of variation was similar for both species and implies that some post-mortem findings are consistently detected and so are a valuable source of epidemiological information for surveillance purposes. However, for those findings associated with higher variation, calibration and training activities of meat inspection staff are necessary to enable correct conclusions about the occurrence of pathological findings and for producers to experience an equivalent likelihood of deduction in payment (independent of abattoir)