Who’s Minding the Store - The Current State of Food Safety and How It Can Be Improved Devon Zagory, Ph.D. Senior Vice President Food Safety & Quality Programs NSF Davis Fresh University of Seattle School of Law April 11-12, 2008
Jan 12, 2016
Whos Minding the Store - The Current State of Food Safety and How It Can Be Improved
Devon Zagory, Ph.D.Senior Vice PresidentFood Safety & Quality ProgramsNSF Davis Fresh
University of Seattle School of LawApril 11-12, 2008
What Is The Problem With Produce?
More outbreaksBigger outbreaksMore media attentionLess confidence on the part of buyers and consumers
Why the increase?Increased consumptionMore raw, less cookedLarger scale production, widespread distributionIncreasing size of outbreaks and ability to detect themIncrease in public and scientific awarenessMore severe illnessGreatly improved methodologyMore aggressive investigation
1998 2006 Produce OutbreaksTop 5 produce items make up 76% of outbreaks
Produce Outbreaks 1973-97 (190)54% pathogens identifiedFrom presentation to produce associations, January 2004, Lynch and Tauxe, CDC
Percentage of outbreaks due to fruits and vegetables: 1990-1998, by origin of product
Routes of ContaminationBeuchat, 1996
Washing Doesnt Eliminate PathogensAt best 1-3 log (1 to 1000-fold) reductions can be expected under commercial conditions regardless of antimicrobial used
IssuesComplexityStem scar area Hydrophobic nichesInternalization of pathogens
Tomatoes Washed with Chlorinated WaterS. montevideoLog CFU/cm2012345060110210320Chlorine (ppm)Zhuang et al, 1995
Good Agricultural Practices
FDA, 1998 guidance documentGuide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Not a regulation - guidelines onlyFocus on prevention of contamination and redundant reductionsCommodity-specific guidance increasingly availableLettuce and Leafy Greens Marketing AgreementProvides metrics for key factors
Commodity Specific GuidelinesMelonsSproutsLettuce and Leafy GreensTomatoesStrawberriesFresh-cut Food Safety Guidelines
California Leafy Greens Marketing AgreementInitiated by Western Growers Assoc.Signatories are handlers, not growersNearly 100% of CA handlers have voluntarily signedOnce signed, terms are obligatoryMust buy only from suppliers meeting the termsMetrics were developed by a committee of expertsSuppliers and handlers are audited by the CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture
Lots of Audits!Internal self-auditsCustomer auditsThird party auditsRegulatory auditsUSDA AMSCA Dept. Food and Ag.Organic auditsSustainability audits
Micro TestingTesting of irrigation water for generic E. coli required by CA LGMAEnvironmental testing in facilities validates cleaning and sanitationProduct testing required by many buyersRaw product testing Finished product testing
Is Testing Product Effective?Negative Tests Dont Prove AbsenceWhat will you test for?Coliforms (Inaccurate Indicators)Viruses PathogensNo Government StandardsQuality Assurance & SanitationValidate HACCP System
Is testing product effective?
_988531268.ppt
Probability Of Microbial Detection
Percent Contaminated
10%5%2%1%0.1%
Number of Samples Analyzed
5 10 15 20 30 6041 65 79 88 96 >9933 40 54 64 79 95 10 18 26 33 45 70 5 10 14 18 26 45 1 1 2 2 3 6
Lawyers and Risk AversionLarge buyers are driving food safety requirements and programsJudgments can be very large in food borne illness casesDamage to brand identity can be even greaterProminent retailers and food service companies are very risk averse about food safetyIn the absence of scientific data about risks, buyers are asking their suppliers to eliminate anything that COULD present a riskThis sometimes leads to wasted resources, and environmental costs
Where is the FDA?Historically FDA has been little involved with fresh produceFDA is reluctant to issue regulationsProduce is extremely diverseThere is a lack of knowledge and dataWhat should the regulations be?What steps would insure safety?There are lots of unknownsThere is a lack of resources
How Can We Fix It?More and better dataLevel the playing field - RegulationMake the producer/handler responsible for the process, not just the resultBase actions on analysis of hazardsImprove knowledge of food safety throughout the systemReduce regulatory ambiguity
QUESTIONS?Devon Zagory, Ph.D.Senior Vice PresidentFood Safety & Quality ProgramsNSF Davis [email protected]