AMPC participated in MLA cold chain seminars in Vietnam, China and Taiwan during March aiming to increase awareness and strengthen trust of chilled and frozen Australian beef and lamb.
AMPC Program Manager Ann McDonald presented on food safety and AMPC research in this area. She talked about a project which investigated the use of sustainable packaging for chilled lamb meat storage. The research findings showed that sustainable packaging options can achieve shelf-life equivalent to or better than conventional methods, extending storage duration by 10-15 per cent, and at least equally shelf life for beef.
Ann also spoke about other food safety research and talked about the interventions at Australia red meat processing plants to produce safe, wholesome red meat products. This includes trimming of visible contamination and washing carcases. She also talked about monitoring for bacteria.
Finally, Ann noted AMPC’s research that aims to continue to work to understand the microbiological risk of red meat production through baseline studies of salmonella and E. coli prevalence. Knowledge of the associated risk is critical as the first step in producing safe red meat products.
Each seminar had about 100 people attend including importer representatives, retailers, and food service professionals. Ann presented at seminars in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Shanghai and Taipei.
Ann said, “It is important that we attend and present at these seminars because what happens along the supply chain impacts our red meat processors and the product they market. It’s vital for Australia’s prosperity that we recognise the significance of how our red meat is handled at every step along the supply chain.”
“We need to continue to strengthen clients' and consumers' trust in Australian beef and lamb.”
“As part of the trip we also toured cold stores in Shanghai, and we went to a range of small, medium and large supermarkets in Vietnam.”