Transcript Document

IMPROVING THE SAFETY
AND QUALITY OF FRESH
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Yoram Fuchs
Based, partially, on book available via the internet at:
http://www.jifsan.umd.edu/gaps.htm
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO
DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES?
• Increased consumption of fresh fruits and
vegetables has been associated with
increased proportion of reported outbreaks of
foodborne illness, that can be traced to fresh
produce. Recent such outbreaks in he USA,
involving E. Coli O157:H7 in lettuce and
Salmonella in cantaloupe, have raised
concerns regarding the potential safety of
fresh fruits and vegetables.
• The WHO estimated that in 1993, food borne
diseases produced worldwide losses in
international food trade of approximately
US$ 380 billion.
• Foodborne diseases are a widespread and
growing public health problem, both in
developed and developing countries.
• The global incidence of foodborne
disease is difficult to estimate, but it has
been reported that in 2005 alone 1.8
million people died from diarrhoeal
diseases.
World Health Organization - Food, safety and foodborne illnesses -2010
• In the United States of America
(USA), for example, around 76
million cases of foodborne diseases,
resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations
and 5,000 deaths, are estimated to
occur each year.
World Health Organization - Food, safety and foodborne illnesses -2010
Texan produce plant shut down after
listeria-tainted celery kills five
By Caroline Scott-Thomas, 21-Oct-2010
The Texas Department of State Health
Services has stopped production at a
produce processing plant in San Antonio
after it linked five deaths to listeria- (Listeria
monocytogenes) contaminated chopped celery
from the facility.
• Foodborne illness costs the United
States $152 billion Dollars every single
year
• 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths due to
consumption of eggs contaminated
with the bacterium Salmonella may be
avoided each year
Ein News 20.9.2010
IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES
• UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF
THE SAFETY AND QUALITY ISSUES OF
FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
• GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE
(GAPs).
• GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE
(GMPs).
• QUALITY AND PHYTOSANITARY ISSUES
FOR FRESH PRODUCE.
• SAFETY HAZARDS AND QUALITY
ATTRIBUTES OF FRESH PRODUCE.
SAFETY
THE CONDITION OF BEING
SAFE FROM UNDERGOING
OR CAUSING HURT,
INJURY OR LOSS.
WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY
HAZARD – something that could
cause harm to the consumer
THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF
HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH FRESH
PRODUCE.
• BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
• CHEMICAL HAZARDS
• PHYSICAL HAZARDS
SOME COMMON SAFETY
HAZARDS
• Naturally occurring toxicants
• Contaminants – chemical residues
- hevy metals
• Microbial contamination
• Mycotoxins
SINCE SEPTEMBER
11, 2001 ANOTHER
FACTOR BECAME
MAJOR ISSUE OF
CONCERN IN THE
FIELD OF FOOD
SAFETY:
FOOD TERROR !!
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
MICROORGANISMS
MICROORGANISMS ARE SMALL
ORGANISMS THAT CAN BE OBSERVED
THROUGH A MICROSCOPE.
THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO 5 MAJOR CLASSES:
BACTERIA
YEASTS
MOLDS
PARASITES
VIRUSES
PREVENTION OF BACTERIAL
CONTAMINATION IS THE MOST
IMPORTANT CONTROL FACTOR TO
ENHANCE PRODUCE SAFETY.
TO PREVENT PATHOGEN REPRODUCTION IN
PRODUCE IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONTROL:
• NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY
• HUMIDITY
• ACIDITY
• TEMPERATURE
• OXYGEN
• ONCE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES HAVE BEEN
CONTAMINATED WITH BACTERIAL PATHOGENS
OR PARASITES, NONE OF THE KNOWN
METHODS OF TREATMENT WILL ASSURE THE
SAFETY OF THE PRODUCT BUT COOKING.
• IN FRESH PRODUCE FOOD SAFETY,
PREVENTION IS THE ONLY REASONABLE
POLICY!!!
• THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE CURRENT FOCUS
ON GAP’s (GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES),
GMP’s (GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES) AND
HACCP (HAZARD ANALYSIS of CRITICAL
CONTROL POINTS). THESE ARE ALL
PREVENTIVE PROGRAMS TO KEEP PATHOGENS
OFF FRESH PRODUCE .
• IN GLOBAL G.A.P. ALL ABOVE PRCTICES ARE
TAKEN IN ACCOUNT.
BACTERIAL REPRODUCTION
THE BACTERIAL REPRODUCTION PROCESS
SOURCES OF FRESH PRODUCE
CONTAMINATION
PARASITIC HAZARDS
VIRAL HAZARDS
NATURAL CHEMICAL
HAZARDS
ADDED CHEMICAL HAZARDS
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
FOODBORNE DISEASE OUTBREAKS
ASSOCIATED WITH FRESH PRODUCE
FOOD SAFETY IN THE UK
• While progress in tackling food-borne diseases was
referenced in the report, there are still more than
300,000 reported cases of food poisoning every year
with a significant microbiological contamination on
the food system.
In 2006, between 600 and 700 people died as a
direct result of something they ate, with the main
cause being food poisoning.
• A report by UK Food Standards Agency
TO AVOID MOST OF THE ABOVE
MENTIONED PROBLEMS ONE CAN USE:
THANK YOU
Thailand has one year to meet standards
EU gives fruit exporters ultimatum
Thailand has until next January to prove that all
shipments of 16 suspect vegetable types to the EU
meet quality standard requirements, says the
Thailand Trade Representative Office (TTR).
EU Ambassador David Lipman on Monday met with TTR president
Kiat Sittheeamorn to inform him about the European Commission's
decision on the export of the vegetables in five categories including
basil, chilies and capsicum peppers, eggplant, bitter gourds and parsley.
The EU has found some Thai produce infested with whiteflies, thrips
and leaf miners. It earlier wanted to ban all imports of Thai produce
due to insect contamination, but a ban was postponed on condition that
Thailand inspect all of its shipments starting this past January.
Source: bangkokpost.com Publication date: 3/2/2011