Inside the pies: Assessing consumer familiarity with meat pies and conducting a market basket survey for pathogen presence

Authors: SHELLEY, LISA - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; SHUMAKER, ELLEN - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; SANDER, CATHERINE - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; MERRILL, JACLYN - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; AHUHA, ANAYA - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; LILES, ELISABETH - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; CHAPMAN, BENJAMIN - North Carolina State University College Of Veterinary Medicine; Porto Fett, Anna; Luchansky, John

Submitted to: Food Protection Trends
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/4/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: At present, consumers can purchase a variety of baked goods containing meats (for example, pot pies, empanadas, and dumplings) from convenience stores, large and small groceries, online vendors, and farmers markets. Many of these specialty/ethnic foods are ready-to-eat (RTE) as purchased, whereas others are sold as not-ready-to-eat (NRTE). Despite being fully, or at least partially cooked, bakery products with a meat-based filling such as pot pies may harbor both foodborne pathogens (for example, cells of Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes), as well as high levels of spoilage microorganisms. Some of these NRTE dough-wrapped meat pies may also appear to be fully cooked (for example, having a golden crust), which can mislead consumers into thinking that such foods are RTE. It’s not surprising, therefore, that recalls and illnesses have been attributed to pot pies due to pathogen presence, coupled with insufficient cooking by establishments or consumers or due to cross-contamination during packaging or preparation. Thus, we conducted a survey to better understand consumer experience and mindset with purchasing and preparing these items, and especially consumer attention to food labels for determining doneness of meat pies. We also tested (retail) meat pies for the presence of pathogens and total bacterial populations. Perhaps the most significant findings from the survey were that about 50 percent of the about 650 respondents did not typically use a thermometer to determine doneness, and that about 1 in 6 respondents expressed some degree of uncertainty about whether their meat pies were RTE or NRTE at point of sale. It was also somewhat concerning that about 6 of the 270 meat pies tested yielded cells of L. monocytogenes, and that these meat pies also harbored non-pathogenic microorganisms at levels ranging from about 9 to 3 billion cells per gram of product. These findings highlight the need for proper cooking and thermometer use, as well as enhanced labeling and targeted consumer education to promote the safe preparation, handling, and storage of baked goods containing a meat-based filling.

Technical Abstract: Baked goods containing meat, such as pot pies and empanadas, are widely available in both ready-to-eat (RTE) and not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) forms, which can create consumer confusion regarding safe preparation methods for meat pies and potentially increase the likelihood for human illness. As one component of this study, we surveyed 658 consumers to evaluate their overall familiarity with dough-wrapped meat products, their awareness of the RTE vs. NRTE status of such products, and their use of a food thermometer to determine doneness of meat pies. The survey indicated infrequent use (as self-reported; 56% of respondents) of food thermometers and an uncertainty (16% of respondents) regarding the RTE vs. NRTE status of bakery products containing meat. As another component of this study, a market basket survey (MBS) was conducted to assess the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes on 270 bakery products containing meat purchased from retail establishments in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as from online vendors in Michigan and Texas. Meta data were also collected on packaging conditions, point-of-sale product temperatures at retail (ave. = 9.4° and -3.8°C for refrigerated and frozen samples, respectively), product temperatures taken upon receipt of meat pies from online vendors, and cooking instructions and safe internal temperature guidelines on product labels. Results showed that 6 of 270 (3.3%) samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes and that total aerobic plate count (TPC) levels for 242 of 270 bakery products containing meat tested ranged from =0.95 to ca. 9.5 log CFU/g. Most products (ca. 63%) had Safe Handling Instructions (SHI) applied to the label, including information such as “keep refrigerated or frozen”, “thaw in refrigerator”, “cook thoroughly”, and/or “heating time may vary depending on your equipment”. These findings highlight the need for proper cooking, thermometer use, enhanced labeling, and targeted consumer education to promote the safe preparation, handling, and storage of baked goods containing a meat-based filling, and particularly for those that are NRTE.