Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In recent years, the produce industry has held several high-level meetings to pri-
oritize produce safety research. At these meetings, producers, processors, retailers,
regulatory agency offi cials, and academics identifi ed and assessed the key research
gaps in our current state of knowledge and addressed barriers to improving the safety
of fresh and fresh-cut produce. Two notable commodity-specifi c meetings held in 2007
included one focused on tomato safety research needs and hosted by the Joint Institute
of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), with the University of Florida,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) in College Park, MD, (JIFSAN
2007), and a second focused on leafy greens safety research needs, and hosted by the
United Fresh Produce Association in Herndon, VA, (UFPA 2007). By drawing on the
collective expertise, knowledge, and experiences of the attendees, a prioritized list of
recommendations that emphasized research efforts with high value and broad appli-
cability was developed. So, with the conclusions and recommendations of these meet-
ings in mind, a brief summary of the information presented in the preceding chapters
provides the foundation for fresh fruit and vegetable safety research needs.
Prevention and Microbial Ecology
The epidemiology of several produce outbreaks suggests that focusing exclusively on
prevention strategies is insuffi cient in dealing with the full range of problems associ-
ated with produce contamination. Before contamination can be prevented, the avenues
of contamination must be more fully understood. A clearer understanding of the
ecology of human pathogens in the fi eld (Ch. 1, 2), on the surfaces of fruits and veg-
etables (Ch. 3), and on food contact surfaces (Ch. 18) is required. This understanding
also provides a basis for improved practices and infrastructure in fi elds (Ch. 4 - 8 ), in
packinghouses, in processing plants (Ch. 16-18), and at the point of sale (Ch. 15).
The following are some of the critical questions pertaining to
prevention:
•
What are the physical, cultural, and economic barriers that have prevented adoption
of available risk control measures such as good agricultural practices (GAPs) on
farms?
•
What soil, water, climatic, or environmental factors allow human pathogens to
persist in and near fruit and vegetable production fi elds?
•
What are the reservoirs for pathogens in the production environment?
•
Are current recommendations for setbacks and buffer zones scientifi cally deter-
mined and verifi ably adequate?
•
Are some strains of pathogens more likely to be associated with certain fruits and
vegetables? If so, can this association/relationship be used to develop new control
strategies?
•
How long can pathogens survive and grow in agricultural soils and on crop plants?
Does survival on associated weed plants increase risk for fruits and vegetables?
•
What aspects of crop production (tillage, chemical inputs, soil amendments, crop
rotations, etc.) most directly infl uence this residence time?
•
What are the most signifi cant animal vectors for introducing pathogens to fruits and
vegetables in the production environment?
•
Do insect vectors contribute to pathogen transmission in the fi eld?
