Food Safety- What We Know and Don’t KnowFaith Critzer, Ph.D.Food Safety Extension SpecialistThe University of Tennessee

Overview

Farm to School Program

Foodborne illness associated with produce

Ways to minimize food safety risks with fresh produce

Upcoming food safety regulations

Food safety and small to medium growers

What does this all mean?

Farm to School Program

Efforts put forth to increase per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables Healthy People 2020

USDA Economic Research Service has estimated that fruit consumption will increased by 24-27% between 2000 and 2020 (Lin, 2004)

Farm to School Program

Farm to School Program began in late 90’s Promote incorporation of local foods into the

school nutrition program

Expanded over past years to include learning experiences School gardens Farm field trips Agriculture-based curricula

Foodborne Illness Linked to Produce

It has been estimated that harmful foodborne bacteria “pathogens” account for 47.8 million illnesses annually in the United States (Scallan, 2011) 3 out of every 20 people

Outbreaks linked to consumption of fresh cut fruits and vegetables are increasing (Sivapalasingam, 2004). 1973 to 1997, the % of outbreak-associated cases

attributed to fresh produce increased from <1% to 6% while the median size of these outbreaks doubled

Foodborne Illness

Food Category

QALY Loss*

Cost of Illness ($ Mil.)

Illnesses Hospitalizations

Deaths

1 Poultry 14,744

2,462 1,538,468

11,952 180

2 Complex foods

7,518 2,078 3,001,858

11,674 189

3 Pork 7,830 1,894 449,322 4,334 201

4 Produce 6,171 1,404 1,193,970

7,125 134

5 Beef 5,766 1,338 760,799 4,818 131* Quality Adjusted Life Years

Batz 2011

Minimizing Produce Food Safety Risks

Produce is a very important part of a well-rounded diet

Important to increase per capita consumption of all produce

Fresh fruits and vegetables do not have a heating step which can inactivate foodborne pathogen

Shift emphasis to practices in cultivation, harvesting, processing, and storage to prevent contamination with pathogens

Food Safety for Produce

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Cultivation and harvesting practices that

minimize the risk of fruits and vegetables being contaminated with pathogens

Example areas of focus: worker hygiene, irrigation water quality, manure and compost use, pesticide use, animal exclusion, and pest control

Food Safety for Produce

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) or Good Handling Practices (GHPs) Processing practices to reduce the risk of fruits and

vegetables being contaminated with pathogens Example areas of focus:

worker hygiene, processing water quality, sanitary operations during packing and storage, pest control, cleaning and sanitation of food contact surfaces and environment

GAPs GMPs

Food Safety Plans for Produce

Increasing demand for fruit and vegetable growers to develop food safety plans outlining their: Practices Training Documenting their adherence to these

practices

Food Safety Plans for Produce

Each grower will conduct a risk assessment for their site- identify biological, chemical, and physical hazards Hazard Analysis and Critical Control

Points(HACCP)- based system

Develop practices specific to their farm and produce types based on GAPs and GMPs

Buyers will require independent third party audits of the food safety plan If passed, growers become GAP certified Audits conducted on an annual basis

Food Safety Plans- GAP Certification

Voluntary for growers, but many would see significant reduction in market if not adopted Now required by the majority of foodservice

and retail grocers

Upcoming Produce Safety Regulations

Food Safety Modernization Act Signed into law January 2011 Preventative Controls and Produce Safety

Regulations to be developed by FDA

Draft Regulations soon to be announced Comment period Final regulation will be established by FDA

Produce Safety Regulation will

require development of produce safety plans-

cultivation and harvesting

Preventative Controls

Regulation will require development of preventative controls

plan- packing/processing

facilities

Food Safety Modernization Act

ExemptionsSmall growers will be exempt (Tester

Amendment) if: <$500,000 in total sales Majority of sales direct market Sold within 275 miles or the same state

Many of the small to medium growers that may be selling directly to schools in the Farm to School Program will be exempt from these regulations

A Survey of Practices for Small to Medium

Growers>25% of respondents were inappropriately

using raw manure on fields as a soil amendment

Nearly 15% used untested well water for irrigation

16% used untested well water and 0.4% used surface water for processing fruits and vegetables

>5% did not have handwashing or bathroom facilities near the field or packing area

>40% did not use sanitizers on food contact surfaces

(Harrison 2011)

Size Doesn’t Matter…

August 2011, 15 people sickened and 1 person died from E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to Jaquith Strawberry Farm

35-acre strawberry farm

Most products sold at roadside stands and farmers’ markets

Deer in field most likely cause of contamination 10% of environmental samples testing positive

Terry 2011

Farm to School Produce Safety

Produce which will receive a “kill step” such as heating by the school system during production will inactivate foodborne pathogens present Chemical (e.g. pesticide) and Physical (e.g.

glass) hazards still a concern

Fresh fruits and vegetables do not have any steps that effectively reduce biological, chemical, or physical hazards

Farm to School Produce Safety

USDA Farm to School Team 2010 Summary Report (LaCorte 2011) 15 school districts active in farm to school

Food service directors identified food safety as a key concern for all foods None of the 15 districts required GAP

certification Directors indicated that they did not have the

training or knowledge base to adequately evaluate food safety practices of growers

What We Don’t Know

What type of food safety practices are in place at various produce farms if they are not independently audited No farmer would intentionally sell contaminated

product, yet it still occurs

How school nutrition directors will address food safety concerns with fresh produce They must evaluate the risk and determine

what food safety requirements will be required for locally sourced produce

What We Know

Children are more susceptible to foodborne pathogens

Produce does cause foodborne illness 1.1 million illnesses annually

Market has driven produce safety standards up until now GAP Certification opens many markets for farmers

Must rely on appropriate food safety practices being implemented to reduce risk of contamination

All the food safety practices in place in the cafeteria/central kitchen are negated when contaminated fresh produce enters the supply chain

Resources

Faith Critzer- Food Safety Extension Specalist, UT Department of Food Science, faithc@utk.edu or (865)974-7274

Annette Wszelaki- Extension Vegetable Specialist, UT Department of Plant Sciences, awszelaki@utk.edu or (865)974-7274

Matthew Young- Chief Field Inspector, Tennessee Crop Improvement Association, matthewyoung@superiorseeds.org or (615)242-0467

Produce Safety Alliance- http://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/edu-mat.html

On Farm Food Safety Project- http://onfarmfoodsafety.org/

References

Lin, B. 2004. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption-Looking Ahead to 2020. In United_States_Department_of_Agriculture-ERS (ed.).

Scallan, E., P. M. Griffin, F. J. Angulo, R. V. Tauxe, and R. M. Hoekstra. 2011. Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United States-Unspecified Agents. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 17:16-22.

Scallan, E., R. M. Hoekstra, F. J. Angulo, R. V. Tauxe, M. A. Widdowson, S. L. Roy, J. L. Jones, and P. M. Griffin. 2011. Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United

Sivapalasingam, S., C. R. Friedman, L. Cohen, and R. V. Tauxe. 2004. Fresh produce: A growing cause of outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States, 1973 through 1997. Journal of Food Protection. 67:2342-2353.

References

Batz, M., S. Hoffmann, J.Glenn Morris. 2011. Ranking the risks the 10 pathogen-food combinations with the greatest burden on public health. In University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute

Harrison, J. A., J. Gaskin, M.A. Harrison, R.R. Boyer, G. Zehnder, and J.L. Cannon. 2011. Survey of food safety practices on small to medium-sized farms and in small farmers' markets. In, International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI

Terry, L. 2011. Tests reveal E. coli in deer droppings found in Oregon strawberry field. In, The Oregonian.

LaCorte, L., C. Parrott, M. Russell, J. Kupcha, K. Horton, K. Quanbeck, J. Kwit, C. Conell, S. Barnes. 2011. USDA Farm to School Team 2010 Summary Report. In United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Agriculture Marketing Service, http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s/pdf/2010_summary-report.pdf.