Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Food TypeProduce

Latest Research Findings Hit On Produce Safety Priorities

June 5, 2018

Because it provides inherently healthy, nutritious foods, the fresh produce industry is uniquely positioned to help solve the nation’s obesity epidemic. To do so, consumers must have confidence in the safety of the fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts they eat and feed their families.

Following a large and deadly outbreak of foodborne illness linked to fresh spinach in 2006, the U.S. produce industry couldn’t wait for government or other direction. After finding significant knowledge gaps and a lack of data needed to build risk- and science-based produce safety programs, the industry created the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) in 2007.  
 


 

CPS at 10 Years: Funding Science, Finding Solutions, Fueling Change

Just 10 years old in 2017, CPS has already paid out $23.6 million to finance 138 projects at 40 institutions in 28 states and 5 countries, according to its 2017 annual report. Most of the research projects it funds move from concept to results and clearinghouse in about a year. More than 330 people from across the universe of fresh produce safety stakeholders attended CPS’s 2017 Research Symposium; attendance has increased every year since the symposia began.

CPS answers crucial produce-specific food safety questions, providing science-proven results that are ready to use in the real world. CPS has already achieved so much, because it has successfully fostered a truly unique partnership, bringing together leaders from industry, government, and the scientific and academic communities.

“CPS works because it is a collaboration of the best and brightest who volunteer their time, expertise, and financial support to make CPS a success,” says Tim York, chair of CPS’s Board of Directors, and president of the foodservice industry’s Markon Cooperative.

Many CPS contributors’ corporate culture goes beyond investing their money. They also commit the human and other resources to ensure CPS gets it right.

“The scene has replayed itself many times: Someone I am talking to will refer to Center for Produce Safety using ‘our CPS,’ ‘ours,’ or ‘we.’ They state their ownership, loud and clear,” concurs Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, CPS’s executive director.

In just 10 years, CPS has made a substantial mark on the fresh produce industry.

“Ten years ago, our industry intuitively recognized that food safety was important, but over the last decade CPS has provided evidence that has underscored the need to prioritize and invest in it,” says Hank Giclas of the industry trade group Western Growers. “Today, our industry is more open to making changes to improve food safety preventive controls because we have acknowledged that food safety is a critical industry mission.”

One of CPS’s most important early accomplishments has been to build strong ties with the research community, including cultivating the next generation of produce safety researchers.

“CPS is fabulous about getting researchers, including research students, involved and making connections,” reports Dr. Martin Wiedmann, a CPS-funded researcher from Cornell University. “And no other group does research symposia with industry as successfully.”

CPS’s funding comes from across the fresh produce supply chain and from grants from major specialty-crop producing states. Its 2017 annual report can be accessed on CPS’s website by early summer 2018.

CPS works to identify produce safety hazards, then funds research that develops that data as well as potential science-based solutions that the produce supply chain can use to manage those hazards. While two foodborne illness outbreaks in the first half of 2018 associated with leafy greens demonstrate the industry still has challenges to meet, CPS has grown into a unique public-private partnership that moves most of the research it funds from concept to real-world answers in about a year.  

Each June, CPS hosts a symposium to report its latest research results to industry, policy makers, regulators, academia, and other produce safety stakeholders. Key learnings from the 2017 symposium have just been released on topics including water quality, cross-contamination, and prevention. A few highlights from those key learnings are summarized here, and for the full details, you can download the Key Learnings report from CPS’s website.

Know Your Water
Irrigation water is a potentially significant contamination hazard for fresh produce while it is still in the field. While CPS research has revealed many learnings about agricultural water safety in its 10 years, many questions still remain. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s proposed Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) water testing requirements—which offers some challenges for producers in specific production regions—recently raised even more questions.

New CPS research illustrates the risks of irrigating with “tail water” from runoff collection ponds. With water becoming a precious resource in drought-stricken areas, the objective was to learn if tail water might be recovered and used for irrigation.  We learned that differences among pond sites—for example, water sources, climate, ag management practices—can strongly influence the chemistry and microbiology of the water. Further, water pH can influence disinfection treatment strategies.[1] 

CPS research continues to investigate tools for irrigation water testing, looking specifically at sample volumes,[2] and searching for better water quality indicators and indexing organisms including harnessing next-generation DNA sequencing.[3] Following a CPS-organized colloquium on ag water testing in late 2017, FDA subsequently announced it would revisit FSMA’s ag water requirements, and postponed compliance.

Bottom line, CPS research demonstrates that growers must thoroughly understand their irrigation water before they can accurately assess cross-contamination risk. CPS’s findings clearly point to the need to take a systems approach, to understand and control the entire water system to help achieve produce safety. Long term, this may mean prioritizing research into ag water disinfection systems to better manage contamination hazards that can also operate at rates needed for field production.

Cross-Contamination Can Happen across the Supply Chain
While conceptually and anecdotally the fresh produce industry knows that food safety is a supply chain responsibility, research is needed that documents the role of the entire supply chain to keep fresh produce clean and safe from field to fork. At the 2017 CPS Research Symposium, research reports were presented focusing on cross-contamination risks from the packinghouse to retail store display.

In the packinghouse, CPS-funded research found that wash systems can effectively control cross-contamination on fruit, when proper system practices are implemented.[4] Post-wash, CPS research involving fresh-cut mangos also demonstrated that maintaining the cold chain is critical to controlling pathogen populations.[5] Across the cantaloupe supply chain, CPS studies show food contact surfaces—for example, foam padding—are potential points of cross-contamination.[6] See the full 2017 Key Learnings report for details, as these brief descriptions only scratch the surface of this research.

CPS studies clearly demonstrate that food safety is a supply chain responsibility—a message that must be internalized from growers and packers to transporters, storages, and retailers to commercial, institutional, and home kitchens. While translating this research into reality will present engineering and operational challenges, our new understanding of produce safety demands it.

Verifying Preventive Controls
The produce industry must know that its preventive controls are in fact effective. That said, validation can be tricky. If validation research doesn’t mimic the real world, industry ends up fooling itself about whether its food safety processes work—and the human consequences are real.

Numerous scientists presented research at the 2017 CPS Research Symposium that validates various preventive controls, from heat treating poultry litter[7] to pasteurizing pistachios[8] to validating chlorine levels in wash water systems.[9] Some researchers effectively used nonpathogenic bacteria as a surrogate in their validation studies, while another is working to develop an avirulent salmonella surrogate, and another. Wang used actual Escherichia coli O157:H7 (albeit in a laboratory).

Importantly, CPS research finds that the physiological state of a pathogen or surrogate, and pathogen growth conditions themselves, are critically important to validation studies.[10] Meanwhile, suitable surrogates have been identified for some applications, the search continues for many others.

The research findings described here are just some of the real world-applicable results to emerge from CPS’s research program. To learn more, download the 2017 and other annual Key Learnings reports from the CPS website > Resources > Key Learnings page at www.centerforproducesafety.org.

Bob Whitaker, Ph.D., is chief science and technology officer for Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the fresh produce industry’s largest global trade association. PMA helped found CPS, and Whitaker is a member of CPS’s Board of Directors.

References
1. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/389/awards/Microbial_food_
safety_risks_of_reusing_tail_water_for_leafy_green_production.html
.
2. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/378/awards/Improved_
sampling_and_analytical_methods_for_testing_agricultural_water_
for_pathogens_surrogates_and_source_tracking_indicators.html
.
3. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/388/awards/Identification_of_novel_
indicator_organisms_to_determine_the_risks_of_fecal_contamination_of_irrigation_waters.html
.
4. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/375/awards/Impact_of_wash_
water_disinfectants_on_Salmonella_enterica_transfer_and_survival_in_mango_packing_
facility_water_tank_operations.html
.
5. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/390/awards/Factors_that_influence_
the_introduction_fate_and_mitigation_of_foodborne_
pathogens_on_mangoes_throughout_the_production_chain.html
.
6. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/397/awards/Control_of_
CrossContamination_during_Fieldpack_and_Retail_Handling_of_Cantaloupe.html
.
7. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/392/awards/Validating_a_physically_
heattreated_process_for_poultry_litter_in_industry_settings_using_the_avirulent_Salmonella_
surrogates_or_indicator_microorganisms.html
.
8. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/380/awards/Improving_pasteurization_
validation_methods_for_pistachio_processing.html
.
9. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/387/awards/Validation_of_chlorine_
level_in_sanitization_system_to_avoid_crosscontamination.html
.
10. www.centerforproducesafety.org/researchproject/399/awards/Pathogen_physiological_state_
has_a_greater_effect_on_outcomes_of_challenge_and_validation_studies_than_strain_diversity.html
.


Author(s): Bob Whitaker, Ph.D.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Testing & Analysis
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Personal Hygiene/Handwashing
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Contamination Control
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

Corporate manager talking with factory employees

Turning Resistance into Opportunity: Motivating Change in the Food Industry

Image of baby being fed infant formula

HHS Budget Request Beats Familiar Drum

Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.

Staying Compliant With FSMA

Events

June 26, 2025

How to Design and Conduct Challenge Studies for Safer Products and Longer Shelf Life

Live: June 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn how to conduct challenge studies for microbial spoilage and pathogen growth, including the common challenges encountered, laboratory selection, and use of predictive models.

July 15, 2025

Hygienic Design Risk Management: Industry Challenges and EHEDG Guidance

Live: July 15, 2025 at 11:00 am EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn the importance of hygienic design to ensure food safety and sanitation effectiveness.

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • indoor lettuce farming

    CPS-Funded Research to Focus on Various Food Safety Hazards, Produce Types

    See More
  • Center for Produce Safety logo

    Exclusive interview: Center for Produce Safety on food safety research

    See More
  • Industry Leaders Expand Produce Safety Research

    Center for Produce Safety to Hold Three Free Webinars on Recent Research Projects

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 9781138070912.jpg

    Trends in Food Safety and Protection

  • 1119160553.jpg

    Food Safety: Innovative Analytical Tools for Safety Assessment

  • 1119053595.jpg

    Food Safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and Food Safety throughout the Global Supply Chain, 2E

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Serim Research Corp.

    Serim® Research is a leading manufacturer of specialized test strips for multiple industries including food safety and healthcare. Our tests for measuring chlorine and QAC sanitizing solutions are preferred by many customers including national restaurants, food production and processing companies. We also manufacture tests for residual glucose, water quality
  • ESHA Research

  • On Target Packaging

    On Target Packaging is a production/maintenance servicer for combination and check weighers. We do not sell or process food, but provide service/repairs, and equipment for the food industry
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing