Development and Delivery of HACCP Models for the Vegetable Sprout Industry

The association of Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7 with sprout seeds and their ability to grow during sprouting raises serious public health concerns for consumers looking to include sprouts as a healthy choice in the diet. Seeds for sprouting represent an important North West agriculture product for export. Currently, there do not exist definitive handling and processing recommendations for seeds/sprouts to eliminate or prevent growth of infectious food borne pathogens. These factors point to a need for assurance that procedures and conditions that are used to handle seeds, process sprouts, and subsequently store sprouts do not present hazards of public health significance. This project will develop, assemble and disseminate HACCP models that specifically address produced vegetable sprouts. The models will be disseminated through workshops and Internet Web-based formats. Documentation of HACCP model effectiveness will be through workshop evaluations and website-based surveys.