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Environmental Pathogen Monitoring - Introduction Guide

#2 - Time for Some Listeria Hysteria?

January 31, 2024

Environmental Pathogen Monitoring Series

Listeriosis is a serious microbial infection, fatal in 20 to 30% of cases, caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Lately, the food industry has faced an increased number of Listeria incidents: from preventive recalls to the deaths of dozens of people.

Surprisingly, whilst we thought that Listeria could only affect high risk food products, it is now popping up in new food categories that were traditionally not implicated, such as melons or frozen vegetables.

Jack Van der Sanden, our food safety & quality expert, discusses this unexpected spread and shares some thoughts on management of Listeria in food factories...

 

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ON THE SAME SUBJECT

#1 - How Healthy is Your Food Factory

“Prevention is better than cure” is a basic principle which seems rather simple to follow. And yet, as Jack Van der Sanden points out, it is probably easier said than done.
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#3 - Pathogen Hunting, We are Going on a Bear Hunt!

Tracking a bear whilst wandering randomly in a forest without a strategy or plan is not easy. The same goes for your pathogen hunt. The best way to go on a pathogen hunt is to establish a strict environmental pathogen monitoring program.
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#4 - Help - We Found a Pathogen in Our Plant

Tracking a bear whilst wandering randomly in a forest without a strategy or plan is not easy. The same goes for your pathogen hunt. The best way to go on a pathogen hunt is to establish a strict environmental pathogen monitoring program.
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#5 - Pathogen Management: Dangerous Assumptions

Environmental pathogens management (EPM) is essential in food factories. Yet, it is often a poorly understood area, surrounded by some dangerous assumptions. As a result, companies may set up suboptimal and counterproductive programs to manage environmental pathogens.
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WRITTEN BY

Jack

International Food Safety Advisor

Jack van der Sanden is an international food safety advisor. He has been part of the global food industry for over 30 years.

After obtaining a food technology degree in The Netherlands, Jack joined the food industry as production supervisor. He migrated to New Zealand in 1990, where he obtained a post-graduate diploma in dairy science and technology at Massey University.

Over the years, he rose through the ranks and ended-up managing production, technical and food safety & quality teams. This cross-functional exposure enabled him to find pragmatic solutions, that strengthened food safety and quality systems in different multinational organizations.

During his career, he has not only advised small and medium-sized businesses in the food industry in New Zealand, but has also managed international consultancy projects in the United States, Europe and China. His expertise has opened many doors for him, from leading training in food safety and quality to mentoring many professionals in the food industry around the world.

During the last 10 years, he has specialised in Environmental Pathogen Management (EPM) and advised food industries in the design of pre-ventive and effective EPM programs.

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