Meat and meat products

Meat and meat products are some of the food types most commonly associated with foodborne disease caused by pathogens. By nature, microbial contamination of meat and meat products is unavoidable as microorganisms are present on and in animals and their environment. Meat producers and processors face many challenges in the battle to keep contamination levels low and ensuring the microbial safety and quality of the products throughout the entire meat chain, from farm to fork. This chapter summarizes the physical, chemical, and biological hazards of concern for meat and meat products, reviews current illness and outbreak data, studies the methods for controlling hazards at different stages of the meat chain, and touches on subjects such as legislation, globalization, and harmonization that overlap the daily challenges of food safety management in the meat industry.