1999 U.S. Cold Temperature Study Design

This project conducted a national survey of temperatures of processed meat products at retail and upon arrival at home, after shopping. Data from this study was used in the FDA/USDA Risk Assessment for Listeria monocytogenes.

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Objectives

To conduct a survey of U.S. cold temperature in various retail products including product temperatures in display cases and temperatures upon arrival home (after shopping) and if possible, temperatures of products removed from the backroom freezer and/or backroom refrigerator.

Conclusions

The study found that the mean product temperatures for all retail meat cases improved over the 1989 study; however, the worst 5–10 percent of product temperatures have not changed appreciably since 1989. The results show that a significant percentage of retail meat products are at temperatures in excess of 41 degrees F, for all meat categories.

Deliverable

This study generated information on customer and consumer handling practices of perishable products. The data was used by FDA in the handling component of the Listeria Risk Assessment.