Editorial: the relationship of animal health and management to food safety

Authors: LOURENCE, JEFERSON - University Of Georgia; Broadway, Paul; CALLOWAY, TODD - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Frontiers in Animal Science
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/26/2022
Publication Date: 6/26/2022
Citation: Lourence, J.M., Broadway, P.R., Calloway, T.R. 2022. Editorial: the relationship of animal health and management to food safety. Frontiers in Animal Science. 3:951316. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2022.951316. . 3:95116. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2022.951316.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2022.951316

Interpretive Summary: For many years we have understood that good animal management was linked to optimal animal health. While it has been assumed that healthy animals grew best, and produced safe food, this connection has not been proven. Salmonella is one of the biggest foodborne threats facing all of animal agriculture. While it cause disease in humans and to animals, most of the time it is a non-disease inducing bacteria in the gut. Efforts have been expanded to reduce the amount of Salmonella reaching human meat consumers through post-harvest strategies. But application of pre-harvest control strategies have been slow to be developed and used. Additionally, differences between Salmonella on dairy and beef operations are not yet explained. Examining these differences may explain which on-farm factors increase the risk of Salmonella. With respect to prevention, some products such as ceramic clay particles may be used to prevent Salmonella in swine. This publication highlights the difficulty of protecting animals and humans from pathogens and helps connect the dots between animal health, animal productivity, and food safety. This information is important to producers, researchers, veterinarians, and public health officials in an attempt to establish a one health approach that can simultaneously improve both human and animal health.

Technical Abstract: For many years we have understood that efficient, profitable, and sustainable animal management was linked to optimal animal health. As a result, it has been long assumed that healthy animals grew best, and produced safe food, but in recent years this linkage has not been solidified. Salmonella is one of the biggest foodborne threats facing all of animal agriculture because it can be a pathogen to both humans and to animals, but it is most often an asymptomatic member of the gut microbial population. Efforts have been expended in reducing the burden of Salmonella reaching human meat consumers through the implementation of post-harvest interventions, but the application of pre-harvest control strategies have been slow to be developed and implemented. Differences between Salmonella prevalence on dairy and beef operations are not yet explained, but examining these differences across operations gives promise for understanding of which on-farm factors drive risk for carriage of Salmonella. For poultry, there are also concerns about Salmonella across all production systems. With respect to prevention, some products such as ceramic clay particles may be utilized as a preventative measure for Salmonella in swine. Collectively, this issue highlights the difficulty of protecting animals and humans from pathogens and helps connect the dots between animal health, animal productivity, and food safety. This information is important to producers, researchers, veterinarians, and public health officials in an attempt to establish a one health approach that can simultaneously improve both human and animal health.