Designed for Salinas Valley, California growers, an ongoing project supported by the Center for Produce Safety will leverage existing science and consider unique farming operation factors to create a user-friendly tool that assesses Escherichia coli contamination risk and provides actionable mitigation measures.
A new study has revealed how leafy greens like spinach absorb various toxic metals differently and offers strategies to reduce uptake, highlighting practical solutions for farmers, food processors, and consumers.
A recent study has demonstrated that the risk of foodborne Salmonella enterica infection from raw produce may increase as humidity worsens due to climate change, and that certain plant diseases can aid the survival of Salmonella on leafy greens.
A recent study has found the ubiquitous presence of tire-derived compounds in leafy greens samples grown in four European countries, indicating that chemicals in tires and roads are taken up by crops.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revealed preliminary findings from a multi-year environmental study of a specific growing region in the Southwest U.S., which sought to better understand the ecology of human pathogens in the environment.
Forward processing of leafy greens crops does not significantly increase the food safety risk posed by Escherichia coli, suggests a recent study led by a USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) scientist and funded by the Center for Produce Safety.
To help predict and mitigate the presence of Escherichia coli and other foodborne pathogens on lettuce, a new weather-based model has been developed by USDA-ARS researchers and collaborators.
A recent review has established pathogen-specific foodborne illness burden estimates for leafy greens in the U.S. by combining three outbreak-based attribution models with illness incidence and economic cost models.
A recent study has identified factors that determine the susceptibility of different leafy greens to foodborne Escherichia coli, including storage temperatures, leaf roughness, and natural wax coating. The researchers also found that the juices of kale and collard leaves have a natural antimicrobial effect.
As part of the agency’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a report detailing the results of targeted inspections and microbiological testing of leafy greens grown in Salinas Valley, California during the region’s 2022 harvest season.