Study Reconsiders Norms for Hot Dog Storage
The USDA might want to consider more conservative storage recommendations for frankfurters now that a new study has found significant growth of Listeria monocytogenes in hot dogs stored under currently acceptable time limits.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) currently says it’s OK to store hot dogs at home in your refrigerator for seven days in open packs and 14 days in sealed vacuum packs. The guidelines imply that Listeria doesn’t grow under recommended storage conditions.
In a study published this month in Science Direct, researchers at Colorado State University inoculated frankfurters with Listeria and then stored them in variable conditions — including conditions that reflect normal carry times and environments from the manufacturer to retail and retail to home.
Listeria is unlike other pathogens in that scientists know it can grow in cold temperatures. That is why it is risky to eat hot dogs without heating them. The bacteria is especially harmful to pregnant women, who are 20 times more likely to get the infection, which can result in stillbirth and Listeria miscarriage.
Listeria symptoms can be flu-like, including muscle soreness, stiff neck, fever, nausea and diarrhea. An outbreak in Canada last year traced to deli meat killed 22 elderly people.
The study found that pathogen counts on frankfurters made with preservatives diodium diacetate and potassium lactate remained relatively stable regardless of storage conditions. The highest increases in Listeria occurred in open packs stored for one week at 39 degrees and 14 days in vacuum packs.
The researchers also found that the bacteria grew slower when stored at 39 degrees versus 45 degrees, so you can contribute to the risk or reduce the risk to your family depending on the temperature of your refrigerator. As always, it’s a good idea to keep a thermometer in your fridge to monitor storage temperature.
Tags: hot dog storage, listeria hot dogs
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