Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Insects
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Human handling
Postharvest
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Feces
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Human handling (workers, consumers)
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Harvesting equipment
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Transport containers (fi eld to packing shed)
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Wild and domestic animals (including fowl and reptiles)
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Insects
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Air (dust)
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Wash and rinse water
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Sorting, packing, cutting, and further processing equipment
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Ice
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Transport vehicles
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Improper storage (temperature, physical environment)
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Improper packaging (including new packaging technologies)
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Cross-contamination (other foods in storage, preparation, and display areas)
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Improper display temperature
In response to outbreaks and academic publications, the International Fresh-cut
Produce Association developed and published industry guidelines on produce food
safety (International Fresh-cut Produce Association 1997).
In 1998, 2,288 became ill associated with 32 separate fresh produce outbreaks. In
January 1998, the New York Times ran a front-page article, along with several addi-
tional articles, highlighting produce safety and noting the importance of on-farm
strategies to reduce risk.
Beuchat (1998) noted that risk management strategies for fresh produce were dif-
fi cult because potential pathogen sources in fresh fruit and vegetable production were
numerous, and irrigation water containing raw sewage or improperly treated effl uents
from sewage treatment plants may contain hepatitis A, Norwalk viruses, or enterovi-
ruses in addition to bacterial pathogens such as
E.coli
O157:H7,
Salmonella
spp., and
Shigella
spp.
In 1999, several more outbreaks of Shiga-toxin producing
E. coli
(STEC) were
linked to leafy greens (Table 20.2), and the U.S. group, the United Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Association, developed and published food safety guidelines based on
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) concepts for the industry
(United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association 1999 ).
Rafferty and others (2000) demonstrated that
E. coli
could spread in plant produc-
tion cuttings from one contaminated source, and magnify an outbreak to a whole farm.
A 2001 outbreak of
Shigella fl exneri
(886 ill) in tomatoes (Reller and others 2006)
further focused public and scientifi c attention on fresh produce.
Solomon and others (2002a) discovered that the transmission of
E. coli
O157:H7
to lettuce was possible through both spray and drip irrigation. They also found that
the pathogen persisted on the plants for 20 days following inoculation and submerging
the lettuce in a solution of 200ppm chlorine did not eliminate all viable
E.coli
