Posts from the "Research News" category
FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The April 2020 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
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Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
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Fresh produce safety and COVID-19 positive workers in processing facilities: key points for industry
The ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry has released information on fresh produce safety and COVID-19 positive workers in processing facilities. Key points are:
COVID-19 is unlikely to be passed on through fresh produceThere is a low risk of contracting COVID-19 from fresh produce if handled by a worker who is confirmed positive for COVID-19Immediately notify the health department if a worker in the facility tests positive for COVID-19Increase contact time and/or concentration of disinfectants on surfaces in the processing environment
For further information, visit the ARC Training Centre’s website here.
Additional resources:For additional information, visit these following sites: Australian Department of Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resourcesFreshcare: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources: https://www.freshcare.com.au/resources/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Food Industry Resources and FAQs: https://instituteforfoodsafety.cornell.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/frequently-asked-questions/New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre: https://www.nzfssrc.org.nz/node/154NZ MPI: Coronavirus and Food Safety on COVID-19: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/protection-and-response/responding/alerts/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-food-safety/
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FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The March 2020 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
Click here to view the latest newsletter.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
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Coronavirus unlikely to be passed on through fresh produce
The ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry and FSANZ have released information on the coronavirus and food safety. Key points are that coronavirus is unlikely to be passed on through fresh produce. The virus may survive up to three hours on dry inanimate surfaces, and several hours on hands, tissues, and other surfaces, although this depends on the nature of the surface, environmental conditions etc. The produce industry should reduce the risk of transmission through surface contamination by strictly following all good personal hygiene practices along with good agricultural practices. More (ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry) and more (FSANZ)
Read Article →Outbreaks, occurrence and control of norovirus and Hep A in berries
The team from the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry has published a review paper in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition on norovirus and Hep A in berries. Dr Hayriye Bozkurt, Dr Kim-Yen Phan-Thien, Dr Floris van Ogtrop, A/Prof Tina Bell and Prof Robyn McConchie co-authored “Outbreaks, occurrence, and control of norovirus and hepatitis a virus contamination in berries: A review”. The review found that inadequate handler hygiene was the predominant source of pre- and post-harvest contamination, but that the current industrial processing methods (freezing, storage and washing) provided limited efficacy in reducing viral load. They recommended key interventions in personal and environmental hygiene and the development of alternative processing technologies to induce sufficient viral inactivation in berries while maintaining sensory and quality attributes.
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FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The February 2020 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
Click here to view the latest newsletter.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Read Article →
FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The December 2019 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Read Article →USA: Researchers confirm flies can transfer E. coli from feedlots to produce fields
By Coral Beach on July 31, 2019
Along with feedlot dust blowing in the wind and surface irrigation water flowing adjacent to feedlots, flies captured in leafy greens plots near feedlots are capable of transferring E. coli from animal operations to produce fields.
Set for publication in August in the “Journal of Food Protection,” new research from a team of experts links contamination of leafy greens with E. coli from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), also referred to as feedlots, via “pest flies.”
“Most fly isolates were the same predominant pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types found in feedlot surface manure and leafy greens, suggesting a possible role for flies in transmitting E. coli O157:H7 to the leafy greens,” according to the research abstract.