Supermarket Perimeter - August 2022 - 66

Food safety
Fruits and vegetables
BY CENTER FOR PRODUCE SAFETY
THE 2022 CENTER FOR PRODUCE SAFETY SYMPOSIUM, held June
21-22 in San Diego, featured produce safety research presentations and
industry discussions on a wide range of critically important produce
safety challenges.
This executive summary can be used to look inward at your own
produce safety programs to examine current strategies and ensure
they reflect the current science. Executives can also look outward and
engage customers, trade groups and regulators to set the framework for
trust-building discussions and data-sharing opportunities to advance
mutual produce safety objectives and enhance consumer confidence in
fresh produce.
This summary is organized into three areas to guide executives in the
action levels they need to take: (1) results that merit immediate action
from your produce safety team, (2) results that reinforce current best
practices and represent opportunities for renewed training or finetuning
and lastly, (3) findings you should be aware of and monitor as further
research enables practicable operational value.
New learnings from the 2022 Symposium critical to your company's
journey to more effective produce safety are briefly described below:
* When it comes to Cyclospora testing, always confirm presumptive
positives. Before testing irrigation water samples for Cyclospora,
it is important to understand the current scientific literature on
environmental Cyclospora and the decisions that can be made
66 - AUGUST 2022
given the limitations of this testing. Currently, no single DNA-based
testing method is capable of discerning C. cayetanensis from
other genetically related parasites commonly found in growing
environments (e.g., Eimeria) [Mattioli 2019, Ortega 2019, and Kniel
2019]. It is imperative to confirm presumptive PCR-positive tests using
multiple C. cayetanensis-specific mitochondrial or nuclear genetic
sequences.
* Hollow fiber filters improve capture of Cyclospora oocysts in
irrigation water samples. Detecting Cyclospora offers several
technical challenges; among them collecting enough oocysts to
permit DNA-extraction needed for PCR testing. Hollow fiber filters
permit large volumes of water to be passed through the system to
filter out oocysts in sufficient numbers to support DNA extraction
[Ortega 2019]. Increased availability of oocysts and DNA permits
more extensive Cyclospora research leading to more sensitive and
selective detection tools.
* Think your equipment is clean and sanitized? Biofilm formation
on equipment represents an important challenge in controlling
Listeria risks. Rough, porous surfaces on harvesting, packing or
processing equipment offer Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and other
microorganisms niches to reside in and deposit biofilms that permit
them to survive inadequate cleaning and sanitation and even grow
in production environments. A study of Lm and biofilm control
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