Produce

RSS

Due to the small, tender quality of berries, individual quick freezing (IQF) and isochoric freezing are ideal options that have been explored to improve preservation. Progress in isochoric freezing technology can revolutionize the methods that are used to handle and store berries.

Cyclosporiasis is considered an "important neglected parasitic infection" by CDC. It is also a nationally notifiable disease. Cyclospora is an emergent foodborne pathogen that is frequently overlooked in risk assessments for food safety assurance—an oversight that might not be justifiable.

The resources for industry include updated FAQs and information about how FDA plans to implement the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.

Developed by an industry consortium led by Western Growers and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, the Roadmap to Sustainable Fresh Produce Packaging offers pragmatic recommendations for transforming packaging practices, based in the holistic concept of “Functional Sustainability.”

Research from the University of Plymouth has demonstrated the ability of nanoplastics to infiltrate the edible radish root, which raises questions about the food safety and public health implications of dietary exposure to plastics. 

A CDC analysis of multistate foodborne illness outbreak investigation data for 2023 reveals the foods and pathogens that caused the greatest number of outbreaks and illnesses. A single salmonellosis outbreak linked to cantaloupe accounted for 407 illnesses.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has proposed to suspend registered approvals for dimethoate products on berries after new dietary exposure estimates suggested a potential human health risk.

A recently completed study funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) has provided new insights into Listeria monocytogenes growth, survival, and inactivation on pears during packing and in storage, and characterized microbial communities of yeasts, molds, and lactic acid bacteria.

A Center for Produce Safety (CPS) -funded study is investigating how different aspects of bulb onion production influence Salmonella and Escherichia coli risk, filling knowledge gaps about short- and intermediate-day varieties.

A global scientific review warns that one of the world’s most widely used groups of agricultural chemicals, strobilurin fungicides, are found in food and water, the environment, and humans—and that they may have toxic effects.