Recent advances in food safety research are enabling plant pathologists to gain insight into how dangerous human pathogens, such as strains of E.coli and Salmonella, can survive on fresh fruits and vegetables and what can be done to control future outbreaks. According to Steve Scheuerell, faculty research associate at Oregon State University’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, there has been an increase in reported human disease outbreaks associated with fresh produce over the last couple decades. ”When an outbreak occurs, most of the infected produce has already been consumed,” said Scheuerell. ”Usually recalls won’t help. This is why prevention is key to keeping food safe,” he said.
From Oregon State University :
Keeping your peas and carrots safe to eat
Plant pathologists present research on food safety at APS Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California
Recent advances in food safety research are enabling plant pathologists to gain insight into how dangerous human pathogens, such as strains of E.coli and Salmonella, can survive on fresh fruits and vegetables and what can be done to control future outbreaks.
According to Steve Scheuerell, faculty research associate at Oregon State University’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, there has been an increase in reported human disease outbreaks associated with fresh produce over the last couple decades. ”When an outbreak occurs, most of the infected produce has already been consumed,” said Scheuerell. ”Usually recalls won’t help. This is why prevention is key to keeping food safe,” he said.
To reduce the potential for the transfer of pathogens to fresh produce, plant pathologists are stressing the need to implement and maintain sanitary growing and harvesting conditions worldwide. ”As the U.S. increases its importation of produce, it is increasingly important to us that growers everywhere have good quality irrigation water and sanitary conditions for their workers,” Scheuerell said.
”On the domestic front, the National Organic Program has taken the lead in implementing proactive measures to prevent potential contamination of fresh produce with human pathogens,” Scheuerell said. Examples include mandated pre-harvest intervals for the application of manure and proposed quality assurance testing regulations for compost tea regulations (a brew of compost with water used as a biocontrol agent or fertilizer). ”Using techniques developed by plant pathologists, scientists are just beginning to understand how human pathogens colonize leaf surfaces, and how their survival can be influenced by manipulating leaf surface microflora and environmental conditions,” he said.
