FDA Testing Fresh Herbs, Avocados for Foodborne Pathogens
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has embarked upon two major sampling assignments that revolve around testing certain produce items for microbial contaminants. Those foods are: fresh cilantro, parsley and basil, as well as processed avocado and guacamole. By conducting this testing, FDA is hoping to pinpoint just how common contamination occurs, and narrow down any common denominators if any positive microbial samples should arise.
FDA plans to collect 1,600 samples per produce assignment. Below is a snippet of what’s been accomplished thus far.