Newswise — A food safety expert at Kansas State University says the produce industry must do more to ensure that everyone from farm-to-fork recognizes food safety risks and take concrete actions to reduce the risks of dangerous microorganisms.
"Fresh fruits and vegetables, not just spinach, are the most, significant source of food borne illness today in the U.S.," according to Douglas Powell, associate professor and scientific director of the Food Safety Network at K-State. "Because they are not cooked, anything that comes into contact is a possible source of contamination."
Powell said irrigation water, manure in soil, even human contact, can introduce dangerous microorganisms into crops like spinach.
"The bacteria can survive in fields for months and in some cases actually enter the plant," Powell said. "Failures during processing, such as washing with contaminated water, or improper refrigeration, can allow such bacteria to multiply."
Powell said there have been 25 outbreaks of pathogenic E. coli linked to fresh lettuce and spinach since 1993 -- in some cases the source was classified as salad. Regulators and the industry have released food safety guidelines for lettuce and leafy greens, but there is a lack of verification; that is, it is unclear if all growers are actually following the guidelines, Powell said.
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"The farm is the first line of defense," Powell said. "Guidelines are a first step, but we need more creative ways to compel everyone, from the person harvesting the spinach to the person distributing the spinach, to take food safety seriously, even in the absence of an outbreak."
Powell helped develop, implement and assess on-farm food safety programs for fresh produce for 10 years in Canada. He joined K-State in May2006.
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