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Swift’s Fresh Approach To Beef Safety.
Like everything we do at Swift & Company®,
we’re taking a fresh and proactive approach to beef safety.
We do it by focusing on preventing contamination rather than
reacting to it. By optimizing the use of interventions and
critical control points with repeated, aggressive attacks on
microorganisms throughout the entire production process, Swift’s
beef safety is second to none.
Swift’s Multiple Hurdle Intervention
Program is a comprehensive six-step carcass pasteurization
process developed to fight pathogens including E. coli 0157:H7,
Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter. Swift is at the forefront
of the industry in preventing and detecting food-borne pathogens
through improved scientific knowledge, technology and testing procedures.
Here’s a look at how we do it:
Step One: Hide Washing
Live animals are the source of contamination, primarily from the hide.
Hide washing reduces the incoming microbial load.
Step Two: Steam Vacuuming
Achieves significant reduction in E. Coli 0157:H7 on beef surfaces by targeting
areas contacted by knives or machines during the skinning process.
Step Three: Pre-Wash/Organic Acid Rinse
Another industry first. Swift was the first processor to feature a patented
pre-evisceration pre-wash using water and organic acid to further eliminate
E. Coli 0157:H7, Listeria and Salmonella.
Step Four: Double Thermal Pasteurization
After evisceration and splitting, carcasses pass through a full-service pasteurization
chamber where water heated to more than 170° is applied for more than 5
seconds. This is lethal to E. Coli 0157:H7 and other pathogens and further cleans
the product. Afterward, cold water is applied to reduce temperature for
optimum color and quality.
Step Five: Thermal Organic Rinse (TOR)
TOR provides a reduction in bacteria of 99.99999 percent when used as part
of the Multiple Hurdle Intervention program.
Step Six: Cold Carcass Sanitizer
This step is being done prior to disassembly of the carcass into subprimals and trimming.
This creates a barrier to prevent microbial growth during fabrication.
Swift & Company® also has gone
beyond the Multiple Hurdle Intervention program to ensure that
only the safest, highest-quality products leave our facilities.
Here’s how:
• More spacing between carcasses to reduce
cross contamination
• A new Swift-designed hide-removal system
• Enhanced lighting
throughout facilities
• Employee empowerment for using emergency
production line stops
• Positive pressure ventilation system
• Temperatures maintained
well below USDA mandates
And to further ensure that safety comes
first, Swift & Company® developed the Swift Trace™ traceability
system. This advanced process electronically traces individual
boxes of beef back through the entire production process – from
live animal to finished boxed product.
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JBS Announces the Acquisition of National Beef, Smithfield Beef and Tasman
