Meat is a nutrient-dense food that provides ideal conditions for microbes to grow and defines its perishable
nature. Some organisms simply spoil it while others are a threat to our health. In either case, meat must be
discarded from the food chain and, being wasted and consequently an environmental burden. Worldwide,
more than 20% of the meat produced is either lost or wasted. Hence, coordinated efforts from farm to table are
required to improve microbial control as part of our effort towards global sustainability. Also, new antimicrobial
systems and technologies arise to better fulfill consumer trends and demands, newlifestyles and markets, but for
them to be used to their full extent, it is imperative to understand how they work at the molecular level. Undetected
survivors, either as injured, dormant, persister or viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells, undermine proper
risk evaluation and management.