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.