Antimicrobial evolution Balancing food safety and shelf-life extension with cleaner labels By Lynn Kuntz and Bryan Salvage V alue-added meat product manufacturers are under increasing pressure to deliver safe products while satisfying consumers' increasing desires for foods that taste great, are convenient and exhibit an extended shelf life. Consumers across most demographics are scrutinizing the foods they eat closer than ever before, avoiding products viewed as overprocessed. This ongoing food evolution has spurred a migration to developing clean-label meat and poultry products, formulated with ingredients the average consumer recognizes. Shoppers are also demanding more-convenient foods offering a longer shelf life. Ready-to-eat and heat-and-serve products are joining or replacing more-traditional raw cuts in meat departments throughout the country while made-from-scratch cooking declines and the demand for easy-to-prepare entrées increases. Recipes for food safety Maintaining and enhancing food safety continues to grow in importance. From a microbial standpoint, it's a veritable jungle out there -- and it's not just spoilage organisms invading protein products: Salmonella has been found in frozen potpies, Listeria uncovered in lunchmeats and E. coli has infected hamburgers and pepperoni pizza. Last year's listeriosis outbreak in Canada serves as a cautionary tale.The outbreak resulted in 22 deaths, sickened approximately 60 others and cost the company approximately $50 million. Such pathogenic outbreaks are fueling demand by consumers and the federal government to create safer meat and poultry products. The Obama administration has created the Food SafetyWorking Group to coordinate federal efforts to increase the safety of the U.S. food supply, including new rules and standards to reduce Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The convergence of these issues means meatproduct developers must carefully consider product formulations and choose ingredients that mesh the latest product-protection technology with ingredients that support a clean label at an affordable cost. Three core principles guiding the development of the U.S. food-safety system have been identified by the Food Safety Working Group. The first priority is protecting consumers, which includes implementing sensible measures to prevent problems before they occur. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service requires that establishments producing certain RTE meat and poultry products take steps to reduce the incidence of Listeria monocytogenes. Strategies employing both a post-lethality treatment and a growth inhibitor for Listeria on RTE products are highly recommended. Processors' Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point programs have reduced contamination levels in meat products. But once products leave the plant, they are subject to potential mishandling and cross-contamination prior to reaching consumers' homes or foodservice kitchens. These facts spell out the need to incorporate ingredients that prevent microbial growth. A special supplement to Meat&Poultry magazine 1