Prevention and control of microbiological hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables – Part 1 & 2: General principles. Meeting report


Book Description

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.




Prevention and control of microbiological hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables – Part 4: Specific commodities


Book Description

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.





Book Description




Measures for the control of Campylobacter spp. in chicken meat


Book Description

To collate and assess the most recent scientific information relevant to the control of thermotolerant Campylobacter species in broiler production and chicken meat, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened a meeting in Rome, Italy in February 2023. The expert committee reviewed the available data on Campylobacter control including scientific literature published from 2008 to October 2022 and data submitted in response to a call for data for this meeting. The experts: 1) determined the quality and quantity of evidence of control measures for Campylobacter, 2) evaluated the impact of measures to control Campylobacter in the broiler production chain, 3) determined which hazard-based interventions pertained specifically to Campylobacter and which were general to the control of foodborne pathogens in the pre- and post-harvest broiler production chain, and 4) reviewed and recommended revisions to the Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat. This report describes the output of this expert meeting and 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 hazard in poultry.




Measures for the control of non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. in poultry meat


Book Description

In response to a request from the 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened this meeting, to collate and assess the most recent scientific information relating to the control of non-typhoidal (NT)-Salmonella spp. in chicken meat. The assessment included a review of the Codex Guidelines for the Control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in Chicken Meat (CXG 78-2011). The Campylobacter will be reviewed by another meeting. The expert consultation noted that no single control measure was sufficiently effective in reducing either the prevalence or the level of contamination of broilers and poultry meat with NT-Salmonella spp. Instead, it was emphasized that control strategies based on multiple intervention steps would have the greatest impact on controlling NT-Salmonella spp. in the broiler production chain. This report describes the output of this expert meeting and 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 hazard in poultry.







Handbook of Vegetables and Vegetable Processing


Book Description

Handbook of Vegetables and Vegetable Processing, Second Edition is the most comprehensive guide on vegetable technology for processors, producers, and users of vegetables in food manufacturing.This complete handbook contains 42 chapters across two volumes, contributed by field experts from across the world. It provides contemporary information that brings together current knowledge and practices in the value-chain of vegetables from production through consumption. The book is unique in the sense that it includes coverage of production and postharvest technologies, innovative processing technologies, packaging, and quality management. Handbook of Vegetables and Vegetable Processing, Second Edition covers recent developments in the areas of vegetable breeding and production, postharvest physiology and storage, packaging and shelf life extension, and traditional and novel processing technologies (high-pressure processing, pulse-electric field, membrane separation, and ohmic heating). It also offers in-depth coverage of processing, packaging, and the nutritional quality of vegetables as well as information on a broader spectrum of vegetable production and processing science and technology. Coverage includes biology and classification, physiology, biochemistry, flavor and sensory properties, microbial safety and HACCP principles, nutrient and bioactive properties In-depth descriptions of key processes including, minimal processing, freezing, pasteurization and aseptic processing, fermentation, drying, packaging, and application of new technologies Entire chapters devoted to important aspects of over 20 major commercial vegetables including avocado, table olives, and textured vegetable proteins This important book will appeal to anyone studying or involved in food technology, food science, food packaging, applied nutrition, biosystems and agricultural engineering, biotechnology, horticulture, food biochemistry, plant biology, and postharvest physiology.




Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (Us Food and Drug Administration Regulation) (Fda) (2018 Edition)


Book Description

Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (US Food and Drug Administration Regulation) (FDA) (2018 Edition) The Law Library presents the complete text of the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (US Food and Drug Administration Regulation) (FDA) (2018 Edition). Updated as of May 29, 2018 To minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death from consumption of contaminated produce, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is establishing science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce, meaning fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption. FDA is establishing these standards as part of our implementation of the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act. These standards do not apply to produce that is rarely consumed raw, produce for personal or on-farm consumption, or produce that is not a raw agricultural commodity. In addition, produce that receives commercial processing that adequately reduces the presence of microorganisms of public health significance is eligible for exemption from the requirements of this rule. The rule sets forth procedures, processes, and practices that minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death, including those reasonably necessary to prevent the introduction of known or reasonably foreseeable biological hazards into or onto produce and to provide reasonable assurances that the produce is not adulterated on account of such hazards. We expect the rule to reduce foodborne illness associated with the consumption of contaminated produce. This book contains: - The complete text of the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (US Food and Drug Administration Regulation) (FDA) (2018 Edition) - A table of contents with the page number of each section




Microbial Hazard Identification in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables


Book Description

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.




FAO Guide to Ranking Food Safety Risks at the National Level


Book Description

The objective of this guidance is to provide direction to decision-makers on how to start ranking the public health risk posed by foodborne hazards and/or foods in their countries. The primary focus is microbial and chemical hazards in foods, but the overall approach could be used for any hazard. This guidance was developed with a wide audience in mind, including but not limited to microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, environmental health scientists, public health epidemiologists, risk analysts, risk managers, and policy makers. Political will and a strong commitment to modernize food safety are key to the successful development and implementation of any risk ranking effort at the country level.