2008 has been a scary year for many produce farmers and related businesses. In late spring, a multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella saintpaul infections was reported in the United States and the CDC, FDA, Indian Health Service and other state health officials began a lengthy investigation into the cause. The next few months were a whirlwind of activity and uncertainty for producers and consumers across the nation.
The initial investigation spotlighted raw tomatoes as the likely culprit. However, after the FDA issued a consumer warning not to eat certain types of raw red tomatoes in early June, cases of the illness continued to occur, though at a lower rate. More than six weeks later, FDA lifted its original warning against tomatoes and issued a new warning against jalapeno and serrano peppers grown, harvested or packed in Mexico. An FDA laboratory detected the outbreak strain Salmonella saintpaul in a sample of a jalapeno pepper provided by a distributor in McAllen, Texas, as well as from a serrano pepper and an agricultural water sample collected on a farm in Mexico that supplied peppers to the distribution center. Since April, more than 1,400 people in 43 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Canada, have been infected with Salmonella saintpaul.
GLOBAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. Food contamination outbreaks impact consumer health and the global economy. In the last decade, nearly 15 percent of reported food-borne illnesses were linked to fresh produce items. That’s roughly 11 million of the estimated 76 million food-borne illness reported each year. These illnesses carry a significant cost to affected individuals as well as our society, with the associated medical expenses, lost wages, lost productivity and lost revenue. Between $10 billion and $83 billion of economic losses are reported each year.
Economic effects of food contamination also have a global impact. In the mid-90s, raspberries grown in Guatemala caused a Cyclospora outbreak. Initially, California raspberries were blamed, causing millions in lost sales. When Guatemala was discovered as the source, the United States halted imports and worked with Guatemalan government agencies to implement a nationwide produce safety assurance plan. The plan included training personnel, strengthening inspection systems, strengthening analytical procedures, and implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and traceability. This particular incident cost estimated loses of $10 million for Guatemalan producers and exporters. Additionally, the demand for all berries diminished and the demand for other Guatemalan produce also decreased.
GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. In response to produce incidents, many retailers are requiring their suppliers to implement Good Agricultural Practices programs. GAPs are guidelines for growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing and transporting produce safely. Effective GAPs programs help reduce physical, chemical and microbial hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables through education and prevention.
The concept and importance of GAPs has changed in recent years because of the globalization of world trade. It wasn’t long ago that the only fresh produce available to consumers were the fruits and vegetables in season in their geographic regions. However, today’s grocery stores are stocked with a grand selection of produce, even exotic varieties, year round. It is common for consumers to purchase oranges from Florida, pears from Korea and tomatoes from Mexico in one shopping trip. Because of today’s global market, GAPs are now more important than ever before. Contaminated produce no longer creates just a regional impact, but rather affects consumers across the entire world.
GAPs also are increasingly important because the expectations of today’s consumers have changed. More and more people are making a conscious effort to make healthier food choices to combat and prevent health problems. We have seen a steady trend toward healthier diets full of fresh produce. This movement has increased the expectation and demand for a safer food supply.
The media attention placed on product recalls in recent years has created a legitimate concern for the quality and safety of imported products. Because of the increased consumer concern, food retailers now have stricter food safety requirements for their produce suppliers. Many now are requiring farms to undergo third-party inspections and to verify that GAPs are implemented. The three largest retailers in the U.S. have made produce safety a top priority.
The most effective way to control or eliminate produce hazards and prevent contamination is to establish a GAPs program that focuses on food safety. There are six steps to developing effective food safety programs.
1. Understand potential hazards. The food industry classifies food safety hazards into three categories: biological, chemical or physical.
Biological hazards are categorized as bacteria (e.g., Salmonella), viruses (e.g., Hepatitis A), or parasites (e.g., Cyclospora). These hazards may be incidental contaminants from the soil or they may be introduced through poor production and handling practices, such as the application of untreated manure, the use of contaminated irrigation water or unsanitary handling practices.
Chemical hazards may be naturally occurring or may be added during agricultural production, post-harvest handling and other operations. Some of the most common chemical hazards affecting agricultural crops include allergens (weeds), mycotoxins (aflatoxin), phytohaemagglutinin (raw kidney beans), agricultural chemicals (pesticides) and toxic elements (lead, zinc).
Physical hazards, such as glass, wood, stones, insulation, plastic and metal can result from poor practices during harvesting, washing, sorting and packaging operations.
2. Recognize hazards on your farm. With a basic understanding of the types of potential hazards that affect produce safety, you are able to recognize the hazards that may exist on your farm. A common source of biological food safety hazards is fecal matter on produce. This may be due to a contaminated water supply, poor field worker practices or nearby animals. The key to preventing food safety produce recalls is to always be alert to what takes place on your farm or produce operation.
3. Develop programs to control or eliminate hazards. Worker hygiene, animal exclusion, and field and packinghouse sanitation are just a few examples of programs that can be developed to control or eliminate hazards. The programs necessary for your operation will greatly depend on what types of hazards are identified in the previous step.
4. Implement programs. Once all the details have been worked out and the program development phase is complete, the next step is to implement the programs. This will involve company-wide participation, all the way from the CEO and other executives to the field workers. Training is a critical aspect of this step. Every employee will need to understand his or her role in producing a safe product. Make sure training is provided as often as necessary and at an education level that is appropriate for the affected workers.
5. Maintain programs. After programs are implemented, the next critical step is to maintain the programs. Conduct inspections and make plenty of visits to the field or the front-line to observe employees in action.
Once the programs have been in effect for a while, interview employees from various roles to get their opinions on how things have changed or further improvements that are needed. Program maintenance is a critical, ongoing process.
6. Evaluate programs. Schedule a time each year, season or quarter to evaluate program effectiveness. Complete a thorough program review and make necessary changes or updates to improve efficiency.
7. Train employees. The most common, and arguably most important, program in any food operation is the personnel practices program. A successful GAPs program will place heavy emphasis on training workers who come into contact with fresh fruit and vegetables to follow proper hygiene and health practices in order to prevent contamination.
Farm workers sometimes are the last — or maybe the only — people to handle produce before it reaches the consumer. Inevitably, the possibility of produce contamination is directly related to the quality of a company’s worker training program. Develop a training program that teaches workers about their important role in food safety, how they can recognize disease symptoms, proper hygiene practices and proper hand washing techniques.
CONCLUSION. An effective GAPs program that places specific emphasis on training results in better employees and safer produce. Farmers and produce operations that have developed and implemented food safety programs can sleep better at night knowing their chances of product recall are greatly diminished.
The author is Publication Coordinator, AIB International.