Produce food safety and interventions to reduce risk

Abstract

The consumption of fresh and lightly processed produce has increased throughout the world due to changes in dietary patterns and the year-round availability of food via global food supply chains. These changes have been accompanied by a significant increase in cases of produce-borne disease caused by Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, other bacteria, protozoa and virus. The magnitude of the problem is likely many times higher due to under-reporting. Solutions are hampered by the fresh nature of the product, market trends towards minimally-processed food and limited availability of suitable processing interventions. To address this challenge, effective Good Agricultural Practices and novel intervention strategies are needed.