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Author: A.E. Murano;D. Archer;L.J. Harris

Source: USDA - Future Agricultural Systems

Methodology: unclear

Summary: In the recent past, there have been an increasing number of outbreaks of food-borne illness attributed to consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. Since 1995, several important outbreaks have taken place involving a wide variety of products such as cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, radish sprouts, strawberries, cantaloupes, and others. Thus, there is a real and continued necessity for research into the risk factors associated with the contamination of fresh produce with human pathogenic organisms. The Tri-State Fruit & Vegetable Safety Consortium seeks to address the issue of produce safety by applying the strengths of land grant institutions in the top three vegetable and fruit producer States, Texas, Florida, and California. The four goals of this consortium are:1) conduct surveillance and epidemiological studies in the three States in order to determine the points during production and processing of specific fruits and vegetables where pathogens are or might be introduced and the effect that certain production, processing, and environmental factors may have on contamination; 2) characterize microbial survival, growth, and contamination mechanisms on specific commodities produced by each state, as well as in the environment, including microbial interactions within populations; 3) develop and test management and intervention strategies that may be applied during production and/or processing to eliminate or control pathogenic contamination in these products, including cost/benefit analyses to determine feasibility of implementation; and, 4) to develop educational materials on food safety of fruits and vegetables for the following constituencies: university undergraduate and graduate food science students, fruit and vegetable producers and processors, and consumers A variety of delivery methods will be tested and developed, including extension publications, distance education modules, face-to-face workshops, traditional classroom courses, and technology transfer symposia.

Academic Affiliation: University of Florida, University of California, Davis, Texas A&M University

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