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Food Safety Benchmarking

Description
MLA and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) have developed software that allows data currently being collected through the AQIS ESAM Database (E. coli and Salmonella Monitoring Program) to be regularly analysed reported on. Reports include individual plant data and national summary data and are sent to export establishments each month. The individual plant data is held completely confidentially by SARDI.

Benefits
The benefits of the food safety benchmarking service include:

  • A regular monthly benchmarking reporting service that allows each processor to monitor their hygienic performance.
  • A tool that assists establishments to respond to AQIS, or FSIS (American Food Safety and Inspection Service) through AQIS, investigating E. coli O157 occurrences.
  • Use in performance benchmarking being developed between the Australian meat Industry Council (AMIC) and AQIS as a ‘risk-based' performance management system for establishments
  • Compliance with a newly issued guideline from FSIS demanding a ‘process control' approach to E. coli O157, which could be delivered through this mechanism

Availability and Costs
The monthly benchmarking reports from the ESAM Database have been made available by SARDI to all export establishments in Australia. There is no cost to processors during the initial trial period (ending December 2010). If processors are not yet receiving the reports they are encouraged to contact MLA and provide us with their contact details.

More Information
A sheep data report and a beef data report demonstrate the national and establishment benchmarking data that are supplied by the service. 

Furthermore, a PDF copy of the Powerpoint presentation used during training is also available.

SARDI have produced an Explanatory Guide to assist QA staff to interpret their establishments monthly reports.

Background
The E. coli Salmonella monitoring (ESAM) program was established to help Australia meet market access requirements to the US. The program requires all export slaughter establishments to collect and analyse carcase samples from all slaughter species for E. coli and Salmonella. 

Microbiological data is then sent electronically to AQIS by all processors exporting to the American market. These data are stored in an industry database (ESAM or National Microbiological Database). 

Data is entered into the AQIS system by on-plant veterinary officers at export establishments. Minimal identifying data is entered along with the results. The microbiological parameters recorded are TVC, E. coli, Salmonella, E. coli O157.

The ESAM Database provides useful information for benchmarking Australia's performance and in market access negotiations. This is particularly true now that E. coli O157:H7 data are also being recorded in the database.

However, full potential use of the data is yet to be realised with the data not currently being summarised or presented to industry in a meaningful format. 

AMIC agreed to establish a system which allowed for enhanced microbiological benchmarking, and hence MLA formed an ESAM working group (EMIAC). EMIAC worked to develop a specification for a system to derive benefit from the data collected through the National Microbiological database as well as drafts of data analysis using ‘standard' control chart and statistical approaches.

This specification has now been implemented via an MLA industry funded project. MLA and SARDI have created the benchmarking service which is available to all export establishments.