Microbiological Hazards In Fresh Leafy Vegetables And Herbs

Problems linked with pathogens in fresh produce, including the associated public health and trade implications, have been reported in a number of countries worldwide. Furthermore, from 1980 to 2004, the global production per annum of fruit and vegetables grew by 94% and fruit and vegetables are a critical component of a healthy diet. Thus, ensuring the safety of these products is of high importance. Reported outbreaks associated with leafy vegetables and herbs have been notable for the wide geographical distribution of the contaminated products, the high numbers of consumers exposed and thus the large number of cases. This meeting addressed the pathways for contamination, survival and persistence of microbiological hazards associated with leafy vegetables and herbs, and the potential management options from primary production through to the consumer. Consideration was given to all aspects of the farm to fork continuum, i.e. pre-harvest and post-harvest.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet and are protective against many chronic health conditions. Yet, fresh fruits and vegetables have been consistently implicated in food safety incidents involving microbiological hazards around the globe for decades. In response to requests of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene concerning microbiological hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables and to update and expand the information available in Microbiological hazards in fresh leafy vegetables and herbs (MRA14), which was published in 2008, FAO and WHO convened a series of expert meetings in 2021 to 2022. The purpose of the meetings was to collect, review and discuss relevant measures to control microbiological hazards from primary production to point of sale in fresh, ready-to-eat (RTE) and minimally processed fruits and vegetables, including leafy vegetables. The experts made an effort to update and include any recent trends in commodity and pathogen pairing or pathogen occurrence and presence with a focus on emerging and neglected pathogens. The primary production in open fields was investigated by considering the location, adjacent land use, topography, and climate; prior land use; water; wildlife, animal and human intrusion; soil amendments; and harvest and packing. The experts also worked on: primary production in protected facilities; minimal processing; transport, distribution, and point of sale; and also the gaps in mitigation and interventions measures. The advice herein is useful for both risk assessors and risk managers, at national and international levels and those in the food industry working to control the relevant hazards in the fresh fruits and vegetables. the development of improved mitigation and intervention measures.

In 2019, following a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Codex Alimentarius Committee (CAC) approved new work at its 42nd Session on the development of guidelines for the control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in leafy vegetables and in sprouts. The objective of the report was to evaluate commodity-specific interventions used at all stages of fresh fruit and vegetable production from primary production to post-harvest activities, transportation, point of sale and consumer use. Emphasis was placed on the identification and evaluation of interventions used throughout the world to reduce microbiological hazards of fresh fruits and vegetables that contribute to the risk of foodborne illnesses, taking into consideration their effectiveness, practicality and suitability. The expert committee addressed four subdivided commodity groups: 1) leafy vegetables and herbs, 2) berries and tropical fruits, 3) melons and tree fruits, and 4) seeded and root vegetables.

Spices and dried aromatic herbs impart flavour when added to food, and they may include many parts of the plant, including berries, flowers, leaves, roots and seeds. A number of different pathogens have been found in spices on the market, especially Salmonella spp., B. cereus and C. perfringens. There have also been several disease outbreaks associated with spices and dried aromatic herbs. An increased concern and attention to the safety of spices and dried aromatic herbs prompted, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) to request FAO and WHO to undertake a risk assessment on microbiological hazards in these food commodities. An expert meeting of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) considered the global evidence on the burden of illness, prevalence and concentration of selected microbial hazards with respect to various spices and dried aromatic herbs, and interventions aimed at controlling them in these commodities. The experts developed the approach to rank the health risks related to the commodity-pathogen combinations, and assessed the performance of the existing Codex sampling plan for Salmonella against several contamination scenarios.

It is in the risk characterization step that the results of the risk assessment are presented.

This document provides guidance on undertaking risk assessment of all microbial hazards which may adversely affect human health in foods along a food chain. This document is also intended to provide practical guidance on a structured framework for carrying out risk assessment of microbiological hazards in foods, focussing on the four components including hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization. These guidelines therefore represent the best practice at the time of their preparation, and it is hoped that they will help stimulate further developments and disseminate the current knowledge.

Low-moisture foods (LMF) are foods that are naturally low in moisture or are produced from higher moisture foods through drying or dehydration processes. These foods typically have a long shelf life and have been perceived for many years to not represent microbiological food safety risk hazards. However, in recent years, a number of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to LMF has illustrated that despite the fact that microorganisms cannot grow in these products, bacteria do have the possibility to persist for long periods of time in these matrices. Responding to a request from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) implemented a series of activities aimed at collating and analysing the available information on microbiological hazards related to LMF and ranking the foods of greatest concern from a microbiological food safety perspective. Seven categories of LMF which were ultimately included in the ranking process, and the output of the risk ranking, in descending order was as follows: cereals and grains; dried protein products; spices and dried herbs; nuts and nut products; confections and snacks; dried fruits and vegetables; and seeds for consumption.

Continuing food poisoning outbreaks around the globe have put fresh produce safety at the forefront of food research. Global Safety of Fresh Produce provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of best practice for produce safety throughout the food chain, and unique coverage of commercial technologies for fresh produce safety. Part one covers the production and regulation of fresh produce on the agricultural level, including issues of niche farm fresh products, FDA regulation, and zoonotic transfer of pathogens from animals to farm products. Part two moves on to look at safety and environmental issues surrounding fresh produce processing, such as postharvest washing, alternative sanitizers, and using produce waste as animal feed. Part three focuses on current and emerging commercial solutions for fresh produce safety, like ionizing radiation and edible coatings, and part four covers methods of laboratory testing and related legislation. The final section of the book covers a series of case studies of fresh produce safety breaches, including European E. coli outbreaks in sprouts and leafy greens, and the illegal use of fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) in China. This book is an essential text for R&D managers in the fresh produce industry, quality control professionals working with fresh produce throughout the food chain, postgraduate students, and academic researchers with an interest in fresh produce safety. Provides a comprehensive overview of best practice for produce safety Examines the production and regulation of fresh agricultural produce Looks at safety and environmental issues surrounding fresh produce processing