Microbial Hazard Identification In Fresh Fruits And Vegetables

Keeping produce safe--from the farm to the fork


As health- and quality-conscious consumers increasingly seek out fresh fruit and vegetables, participants in the food supply chain--growers, shippers, processors, and retailers--must be ever more effective in safeguarding their products and protecting consumers. Microbial Hazard Identification in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables is a comprehensive guide for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry to understanding and controlling the hazards that can affect their products on every leg of the journey from farm to fork.

From production, harvesting, packing, and distribution to retail and consumer handling, the text highlights food safety hazards and potential areas of microbial contamination, examines food-borne pathogens and their association with produce-related outbreaks over the years, and points out areas for further research to better understand the survival of pathogens on fresh produce throughout the food chain.

Particularly valuable to the industry are discussions of:
* Food worker hygiene, including control measures and employee training requirements
* Major areas of known contamination and mitigation measures
* Implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
* Contamination and mishandling during storage and transportation, and in retail display cases
* Recommendations for consumer behavior with fresh produce and food handling prior to consumption in the home
* A case study of the economic impact of the 2003 green onion food-borne outbreak

A comprehensive look at both microbial hazards and available measures for their prevention, this book is an essential reference for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry as well as a practical text for the education and training of scientists, professionals, and staff involved in managing food safety.

JENNYLYND JAMES, PHD, was a technical manager at the Irish company Keelings Multiples and is now a Food Consultant based in Dublin, Ireland. Before moving to Ireland in 2004, Dr. James worked as the Senior Manager of Corporate Quality Assurance at Dole Food Company in Westlake, California, where she established food safety programs for tropical fruit operations in Latin America. Previously, she served as Director of Research & Development and Product Safety at Boskovich Farms, Inc. She received both a BSc in biochemistry and a PhD in food science from McGill University, Canada, as well as an MSc in food technology from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. James has published several peer-reviewed articles in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Journal of Food Biochemistry, American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, and the Journal of Food Quality.

Contributors.

Preface.

1. Overview of Microbial Hazards in Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Operations.

2. The Epidemiology of Produce-Associated Outbreaks of Foodborne Disease.

3. Microbiological Risk in Produce from the Field to Packing.

4. Produce Quality and Foodborne Disease: Assessing Water’s Role.

5. Food Worker Personal Hygiene Requirements During Harvesting, Processing, and Packaging of Plant Products.

6. Overview of Hazards in Fresh-Cut Produce Production: Control and Management of Food Safety Hazards.

7. Pathogen Survival on Fresh Fruit in Ocean Cargo and Warehouse Storage.

8. Fresh Produce Safety in Retail Operations.

9. Consumer Handling of Fresh Produce from Supermarket to Table.

10. The Economics of Food Safety and Produce: The Case of Green Onions and Hepatitis A Outbreaks.

Index.