Farm Food Safety

Growers called on to work with FDA on new law

Whether the recently passed federal Food Safety Modernization Act is fully implemented in the next few years depends heavily on what lawmakers do to the federal budget. Congress initially approved the necessary funds for most of the changes in the new act, but has not released the funds. [MORE]

Shoppers pay for traceability, Top 10 Produce says

A study by Salinas, Calif.-based Top 10 Produce found some consumers were willing to pay 30% more for Valencia oranges with barcode stickers naming their California grower.

Part of an ongoing project, the study explores barcodes as a way for small- and mid-size growers to establish traceability and cover some of its cost, said John Bailey, Top 10 executive director. The codes can be scanned on cell phones and yield a range of information from the grower’s identity and location of harvest to their sustainability practices, photos and consumer reviews. [MORE]

Farm food safety program targets fruit, vegetable producers

 
University Park, Pa. -- As global agribusiness brings us apples from Chile and cheese from New Zealand, more and more consumers are turning to local farmers for their food needs. Pennsylvania's proximity to the northeastern population centers makes it the ideal supplier to these "locavores." Yet these locavores also increasingly demand assurances that their produce is safe to eat.

At the same time, the Food Safety Modernization Act, signed by President Barack Obama Jan. 5, will establish minimum standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables based on known safety risks. Recent consumer trends suggest a preference for raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables to canned and heat-treated versions that ensure that microorganisms have been killed, so fruit and vegetable growers must be especially careful to ensure their produce is safe. [MORE]

E. coli Thrives Near Plant Roots, Can Contaminate Young Produce Crops

 E. coli can live for weeks around the roots of produce plants and transfer to the edible portions, but the threat can be minimized if growers don't harvest too soon, a Purdue University study shows....

E. coli didn't survive on the plants' surfaces more than 40 days after seeds were planted. Harvesting produce at least 40 days after planting should reduce the possibility of contamination, but he warned that E. coli could still come from other sources.

"In actual field application, you pick up other things that are all around," Turco said. "You don't just get the plants that are 40 days old. An animal getting loose in a field could also contaminate plants." [MORE]

 

Texas celery plant linked to listeria deaths closes

Texas health officials have shut down San Antonio-based Sangar Fresh-Cut Produce after they traced listeria deaths and illnesses earlier this year to fresh-cut celery from the plant.

The department investigated 10 listeria cases, including five deaths, reported in Bexar, Travis and Hidalgo counties over eight months. Six of the 10 cases are linked to chopped celery from Sangar’s plant, according to a Texas Department of State Health Services news release.

It was not immediately known how many of the deaths were traced to Sangar products, or when the last case was reported. [MORE]

Researchers Try to Explain E. coli in Produce

From Food Safety News | Jul 13, 2010

A new field study by UC Davis scientists has measured the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces of Northern California wildlife. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found E. coli O157:H7 in some wildlife stool samples. However, these samples may not be enough to explain the numerous E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks in leafy greens over the past decade.

This study was designed in response to the massive spinach E. coli O157:H7 outbreak of 2006 in which over 200 people were sickened across the country and three people died.[MORE]

Iowa investigating farmers market illnesses

Iowa health authorities are investigating more than 10 illnesses possibly related to prepared fresh fruits and vegetables sold at a farmers’ market in the east-central part of the state.

 The state’s Department of Public Health confirmed the investigation in a July 16 statement but did not provide the location of the market, any pathogen that may have caused the illnesses or other details.[MORE]

In Pennsylvania, all food sold in farmers markets must be from approved, inspected sources. Non- potentially hazardous foods (refrigeration is not needed to keep the product safe) such as baked goods, breads, cookies, cakes, candy, and some canned products can be made in a home kitchen as long as the home is registered and under inspection by PDA. Products that are considered potentially hazardous may NOT be made in a personal home kitchen.

Registration or inspections are not required for farm produce that is sold in a whole unprocessed or uncut state. If a stand wishes to sell cut produce, then registration (exempt from fees) will need to occur.

For details on Pennsylvania farm market regulation visit "Inspection Requirement Guidelines for Farmers Markets And Stands" [LINK]

July 26 update: Iowa health authorities are pinpointing a recent salmonella outbreak that sickened 15 people to guacamole and salsa sold in eastern Iowa farmers markets and grocery stores.Iowa salmonella outbreak traced to guacamole and salsa

U.N. food safety group proposes new standards on leafy greens

Animal manure should not be used to fertilize lettuce and other leafy green vegetables to avoid contamination from E. coli, Salmonella and other bacteria, a U.N. food safety group said.

Illness-causing pathogens in manure “may persist for weeks or even months, particularly if treatment of these materials is inadequate,” according to a report by the Codex Alimentarius Commission released after a July 7 meeting in Geneva.

Untreated manure “should not be applied to leafy vegetables after plant emergence unless it can be demonstrated that product contamination will not occur,” the commission said.

The recommendation against manure use was one of several new rules proposed by Codex, a joint venture of two U.N. agencies, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Codex establishes food safety rules for importers and exporters. [MORE]

E. coli 0157:H7 present but not common in wildlife of nation’s salad bowl

The disease-causing bacterium E. coli O157:H7 is present but rare in some wildlife species of California’s agriculturally rich Central Coast region, an area often referred to as the nation’s “salad bowl,” reports a team or researchers led by a UC Davis scientist.

The researchers, who are nearing completion of a massive field study to help identify potential sources of E. coli O157:H7 near Central Coast farms, presented their findings today during the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego. They reported finding occasional E. coli O157:H7 infections in fecal samples of wildlife species common to the area, including cowbirds, coyotes, crows, mice and feral pigs.

Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that farmers in this region continue to follow "good agricultural practices," a set of accepted, on-farm procedures designed to protect crops from contamination during production and harvest. [MORE]

Recall of Romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli O145

Freshway Foods is voluntarily recalling products containing romaine lettuce because these products may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O145 (E. coli O145), a rare but serious strain of the bacteria. The products were sold under the Freshway brand and Imperial Sysco brand. This recall involves only romaine lettuc for use by foodservice outlets, wholesale and in-store retail salad bars and delis. The recall also involves only product with a “use by” date of May 12 or earlier and sold in Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

More information on this recall can be found at Freshway’s website. Information about the related emerging foodborne illness outbreak investigation is available from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Update May 14, 2010: CDC expands inquiry in E. coli outbreak

Update May 21, 2010: Investigation Update: Multistate Outbreak of Human E. coli O145 Infections Linked to Shredded Romaine Lettuce from a Single Processing Facility

May 27, 2010: A Primer on E. coli O145: A Little Contaminated Lettuce and a Lot of Different Os