Tyson Foods applies a step-wise approach to food safety involving policy development, training, monitoring, auditing, and verification. This includes conducting applied research on intervention strategies in collaboration with academic researchers. Proprietary research at Tyson focuses on pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. through interventions like chemical formulations, thermal processing, and statistical validation. While foodborne illness trends have declined, Tyson is committed to the "Red Queen Principle" of continuous evolution to keep food safety standards high on farms and in production facilities.

1. Tyson FoodsHow Are We Applying What We’ve Learned? Scott Stillwell Vice President Food Safety and Quality Assurance Arkansas Association for Food Protection September 14, 2011

2. Tyson’s Food Safety Organization Donnie Smith President & CEO Jim Lochner Chief Operations Officer Hal Carper GVP R&D, Technical Services Environmental Compliance – Health & Safety Information Services Logistics and Supply Chain Distribution Aviation Research and Development SVP Science & Regulatory Affairs Dir. of Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance Dr. Neal Apple VP Lab & Research Services Dr. Dean Danilson VP Food Safety & Q.A. Fresh Meats Scott Stillwell VP Food Safety & Q.A. Poultry & Prepared Foods VP Lab & Research Services VP Food Safety & Q.A. Fresh Meats VP Food Safety & Q.A. Poultry & Prepared Foods Dr. Kellye Pfalzgraf Sr. Dir. Animal Welfare Dr. Dan Zelenka Sr. Dir. Statistical Process Design Consumer Relations Manager Dir. International FSQA Sr. Dir. Animal Welfare Sr. Dir. Statistical Process Design

3. Food Safety Scope Involves a Step-Wise Approach: Policy / Program Development; Training; Monitoring – Process Control; Auditing; and Verification. Detailed within the Tyson Foods’ FSQA Policies and Procedures

4. Food Safety Philosophy “Quality is expected, Food Safety is required…” Assure production of safe, high quality products in large volumes at competitive prices; Collaborate with academic institutions on applied research -- Conduct applied research; Work closely with regulators and customers to develop meaningful and reliable standards; Develop technologies to reduce risk; Validate efficacy of technology; Training and education of team members; and System implementation and verification (audit oversight).

5. Food Safety Scope Involves a Step-Wise Approach: Policy / Program Development; Training; Monitoring – Process Control; Auditing; and Verification. That’s all great and good, but if we’re not doing the right thing – it won’t matter that we do it well!

6. Policy and Program Development "We want to do those things that will truly impact public health and prevent foodborne illnesses… we have to work smarter, more efficiently with our resources.” ~ Elizabeth Hagen, MD USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting January 2011

7. Policy and Program Development “Evolution is the law of policies: Darwin said it, Socrates endorsed it, Cuvier proved it and established it for all time in his paper on The Survival of the Fittest. These are illustrious names, this is a mighty doctrine: nothing can ever remove it from its firm base, nothing dissolve it, but evolution.” ~ Mark Twain When in Doubt, Tell the Truth

8. Policy and Program Development So – How do we make sure our policies and programs are founded on a solid base and modified as necessary in response to evolutionary pressure?

9. Applied Research Services and Research and Development Diversified Team Organizing and Directing Applied Research in Food Safety and New Technologies Coordinating Research on Microbiological Intervention Strategies Validation of Intervention Technologies Designing and Conducting Field and Laboratory Testing

11. Iowa State University

13. Proprietary Research Listeriamonocytogenes Sentinel Site Program® (v12) Environmental Monitoring Search and Destroy Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures Master Sanitation Schedule and Equipment Design Reviews Existing Equipment Evaluations New Equipment Design task Force Validated Process Interventions or Product Formulations

14. Proprietary Research Listeriamonocytogenes High Pressure Pasteurization

15. Proprietary Research Listeriamonocytogenes Formulation / Intervention Chemicals

16. Proprietary Research Listeriamonocytogenes Inherent Product Characteristics

17. Proprietary Research Listeriamonocytogenes FSIS Average = 0.89%

18. Proprietary Research Escherichia coli O157:H7 (and Other STECs) Pre-Slaughter Application of O157 Phage Pre-Harvest Interventions [probiotic, vaccine, phage, feedlot management practices] SPS Steam Pasteurization [post final rail] Hot Water Carcass Wash PECS [Pre-evisceration carcass spray w/ lactic/acetic acid or180F hot water] Hide Washing / Treatments Slaughter Process Control and Verification Carcass PREP™: Dressing and Hygiene Organic Acids; Halogens; Steam Pasteurization Tyson Total-N60™: Sampling Plan Design and Statistics [Prerequisite Program] Statistical Validation

19. Proprietary Research Escherichia coli O157:H7 (and Other STECs) Residual Populations of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli (O157:H7) on Inoculated Carcass

20. Proprietary Research http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Ecoli_O157_Summary_Tables/index.asp#2006

21. Proprietary Research Salmonella spp. in Broilers Efficacy of Attenuated Broiler-Breeder Vaccine Effects of Water Treatments on Colonization of Broilers with Salmonella spp. Efficacy of Hot Water Dip vs Spray for Reduction of Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. Efficacy of Bio-Mapping for Evaluation of Multi-Hurdle Interventions for Reduction of the Salmonellae

22. Proprietary Research

23. How Are We Doing? http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/PDFs/FACTSHEET_B_TRENDS.PDF

24. How Are We Doing? http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/PDFs/FACTSHEET_B_TRENDS.PDF

25. Tyson’s FSQA Principle The Red Queen Principle- Leigh van Valen (evolutionary biologist, 1973) “…in this place it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.“ ~ Red Queen to Alice in Through the Looking Glass

26. Tyson’s Commitment Ensuring Safe, Quality Food from Farm to Fork Questions?