Research Publications (Food Safety)

The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule sets forth minimum standards for fruit and vegetable production in the U.S. One provision states that growers must not harvest dropped produce, as damage or ground contact may contaminate produce. An unpublished survey of 2020 food safety inspections conducted by the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety identified handling of dropped covered produce as a common misunderstanding and non-compliance issue among Northeast growers.

Foodborne Salmonellosis is commonly associated with poultry and poultry products necessitating continued development of pre- and post-harvest food safety interventions and risk management strategies. Evaluating technologies and strategies is limited by availability of cost-effective, rapid laboratory methods.

From planting to distribution stages, fresh produce can be contaminated by humans, water, animals, soil, equipment and the environment. Produce growers play an essential role in managing and minimizing on-farm food safety risks. Due to an increase in public awareness about produce safety, farmer food safety education has become an important research and extension topic.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is developing an Establishment-based Risk Assessment model for commercial and on-farm mills involved in the manufacture, storage, packaging, labelling or distribution of livestock feed (ERA-Feed Mill model). This model will help inform the allocation of inspection resources based on feed safety risk, including animal health and food safety risk.

Salmonella Enteritidis is responsible for a significant proportion of foodborne Salmonellosis in the United States and continues to be attributable to table eggs, despite increased federal oversight in recent years. Technologies, including feed additives, continue to be evaluated for pre-harvest application of their potential food safety benefits.