Fresh Produce Safety Centre Newsletter
February 2021 Edition
Pathogen persistence paper published in Agriculture
The paper 'Persistence of Human Pathogens in Manure-Amended Australian Soils Used for Production of Leafy Vegetables' is now available online in a special issue of the journal Agriculture. The paper, authored by Dr Jenny Ekman and others, has been published as part of the research undertaken for the Hort Innovation project 'Pathogen Persistence from Paddock to Plate'. Hort Innovation, together with the vegetable industry, completed a study on the survival of human pathogens in soil and irrigation water, and on leafy vegetables. The project was led by the Fresh Produce Safety Centre, in conjunction with Applied Horticultural Research, Freshcare and the University of Sydney. Read more about the project here, read the project report on the Hort Innovation website here and read the full journal article here.
Save the date: 18 August 2021 - Fresh Produce Safety Conference
Save the date: the Fresh Produce Safety Centre's flagship event, the Fresh Produce Safety Conference, will be held on Wednesday 18 August 2021. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 conference did not proceed, so 2021 will be an opportunity to meet with colleagues from the produce safety community once again. Mark 18 August 2021 in your diary now!
Review of the audit process: workshop outcomes
The outcomes report from the FPSC's industry online workshop on innovation in the audit process, held on Tuesday 1 December 2020, is now online. Speakers at the workshop included Todd Redwood from BSI speaking on using technology for blended/remote audits, Fiona Grime from Freshcare on unannounced audits, Dr Harry van Enckevort from AsureQuality on end-to-end automation of the audit process and Dr Sharon Jones from OneHarvest on food safety culture. Presentations from the workshop are available here and the workshop outcomes report is available here.
Still no evidence of foodborne transmission of COVID-19
A report commissioned by the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre, authored by Joanne M. Kingsbury and Rob Lake, found that there is currently no evidence of foodborne transmission of COVID-19 and there is negligible risk of spread from food products or packaging. No published studies of SARS-CoV-2 survival on fresh produce were located. More
Assessment of microbial controls in apple production
A recent study by a team from the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and the Food Quality and Design Group (at the University of Sydney, the University of Tasmania and Wageningen University, respectively) explored industry interpretations of food safety guidelines by describing the application of controls in Australian orchards and packhouses. The assessment, published in the journal Food Control, found that an inconsistent application of water sanitation resulted in variable control of wash water quality and hygiene, and that the industry "could benefit from a better understanding of effective risk mitigation strategies, consistent industry application of food safety controls and improved evidence of controls achieving desired food safety outcomes." More
Center for Produce Safety launches bid for US$15M produce safety research funding
The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) has launched a capital fundraising campaign to raise US$15 million for produce safety research. Businesses in the US have already pledged US$5M towards the fundraising goal. "The CPS campaign seeks to raise $15 million to fund additional produce safety research over the next five years, and to transfer learnings from that research to industry and other produce safety stakeholders. Those priorities reflect CPS’s produce-centric mission: to fund science, find solutions and fuel change to enhance the food safety of fresh produce." More
Primary Production and Processing Requirements for Horticulture (Berries, Leafy Vegetables and Melons)
In early 2020, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) launched the first call for submissions for its Proposal P1052, Primary Production and Processing Requirements for High-risk Horticulture. The second call for submissions for this proposal is expected to occur in February 2021, and FPSC will advise readers when it is open. FSANZ has renamed its proposal to Primary Production and Processing Requirements for Horticulture (Berries, Leafy Vegetables and Melons). Over late December 2020 and January 2021, FSANZ conducted a targeted survey of stakeholders in the berries, leafy vegetables and melons sectors. More
International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021
The FAO has launched the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 with an appeal to improve healthy and sustainable food production through innovation and technology and to reduce food loss and waste. More
2021 food safety calendar
Some key dates for 2021 fresh produce industry events:
- AIFST webinar Codex HACCP update: 4 February 2021, virtual More
- Food Safety, Risk and Compliance Conference: Culture - Agility - Innovation: 16-17 March 2021, Auckland More
- GFSI Conference: Food Safety: Rethink, Reset, Recharge: 23-25 March 2021, virtual More
- World Food Safety Day: 7 June 2021, Global More
- Hort Connections: 7-9 June 2021, Brisbane More
- NZFSSRC Annual Symposium: 5 July 2021, Palmerston North
- AIFST21 Food Science, Delivering in a Changing World, 26-27 July 2021, Sydney More
- NZ Horticulture Conference: 4-6 August 2021, Mystery Creek, Hamilton More
- Fresh Produce Safety Conference: 18 August 2021, Sydney
- Asia Fruit Logistica: 28-30 September 2021, Hong Kong More
- PMA Fresh Summit: 28-30 October 2021, New Orleans and virtual More
We want to hear from you
At the FPSC, we are always keen to hear from you on what you want to read in our newsletter and what produce safety information you want highlighted. Please let us know if there are particular topics you want covered and we'll do our best to cover it! Email: info@fpsc-anz.com
Emma Walters
Executive Officer
Fresh Produce Safety Centre A&NZ
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- FDA tests show cattle lot implicated in leafy greens E. coli outbreak [FoodSafetyNews]
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- AIFST webinar: Codex HACCP update, 4 February 2021, 2pm, with Dr Andreas Klieber
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FPSC A&NZ WEBSITE RESOURCES
- Factsheet – Reducing Food Safety Risks From Pre-harvest Water 2020 > More
- Factsheet – Reducing Food Safety Risks From Manures 2020 > More
- Reducing Food Safety Risks From Pre-harvest Water 2020 > More
- Using Manures to Grow Vegetables – A Guide to Reducing Risk 2020 > More
- Innovation Agenda Review of the Audit Process (Summary) 2020 > More
- Innovation Agenda Review of the Audit Process (Full Report) 2020 > More
- Fresh produce safety and COVID-19 resources 2020 > More
- Fact Sheet: Animal Impact on Produce Safety 2020 > More
- Fact Sheet: Foreign Object Contamination of Fresh Produce 2019 > More
- Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety 2019 > More
- Fresh Produce Food Safety Conference 2019 > More
- Reducing listeria contamination in salad vegetables > More
- Prepare and prevent fresh produce tampering > More
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Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand acknowledges the financial support from the following organisations:
Platinum Supporters: PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited | The University of Sydney | Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd | Woolworths Ltd
Gold Supporters: ALDI | AUSVEG | Freshcare Limited
Silver Supporters: Costa Group | Fresh Select | Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd | Horticulture New Zealand | iFoodDecisionSciences | Perfection Fresh Australia Pty Ltd | Seeka | United Fresh New Zealand | Zespri International
Bronze Supporters: APAL | GS1 Australia | Harvest Moon | MG Marketing and LaManna | Metcash Food and Grocery | OneHarvest | PM Fresh Pty Limited | Symbio Laboratories
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