Hepner IN Hort presentation final · Honeydew & Watermelon shipping point Melon related...

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Food Safety: Produce Consumption and Lessons Learned

Johnna Hepner

January 17, 2012

Basic Facts

•  FDA, CDC, USDA, State Departments of Health focus on public health ü Can’t put adulterated food in commerce ü  A food that has human pathogens is

considered “adulterated” •  Consumers expect their food to be safe •  Producers are responsible for the safety of

their products •  You grow the healthiest, most nutritious

foods •  Produce industry - great industry

Basic Facts…..responsibility for safety

•  Food safety is proactive

•  Have to work at it everyday

•  Take the fear out of food

safety

Our new reality… •  24-hr news cycles •  Internet has changed crisis

management forever •  Twitter? •  Beef, dairy, seafood recalls

still happen… Headlines? •  Suing is good business and

getting better •  Consumer confidence

decline •  Need to be prepared for our

new reality…

Copyright PMA 2011

It’s not just a “big” producer issue… •  Pathogens not equipped with GPS •  All growers:

ü  Use water ü  Use fertilizers ü  Use people ü  Grow in the environment

•  Bigger growers can make more people sick?

ü  Not true – cantaloupe 2011 ü  One person sick is too many

Might want to reflect on this…

Food safety is not just the risky crops… Just in 2011

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2003   2006   2008   2009   2011  

The  Evolu1on  and  Impact  of  Food  Safety  Events…  

Consumers expect their food to be safe

Financial impact of produce outbreaks Green Onions – Hepatitis A

ü  Lost grower revenues $10.5M

Spinach - E. coli ü  $100-500M

Jalapeno pepper – Salmonella ü  Tomato industry implicated

but later peppers were identified as source

ü  146M Peanuts – Salmonella

ü  1billion Cantaloupe – Listeria M.

ü  50M

Cantaloupe Production

2%

58%

26%

2% 2%

8% Colorado California Arizona Indiana Texas Georgia

Cantaloupe shipping point

Honeydew & Watermelon shipping point Melon related outbreaks 6%

35%

59%

watermelon honeydew Cantaloupe

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2011 Cantaloupe Listeria outbreak •  Anything special about these guys?

ü Probably not •  FDA reports:

ü Changed their process ü Sanitation? ü  Listeria found around facility ü  Third party audit ü  How did they use it?

•  Lesson? ü  Can happen to anyone…

Lessons Learned

•  Understand what you don’t know •  Risk Assessment – critical

component •  Utilize best practices •  Use resources available •  Stay informed

Cantaloupe symposium •  San Diego - January 11, 2011 •  Urgent need & commitment to

strengthen food safety in cantaloupes •  Stakeholders present •  What are the information & research

gaps? •  Update current guidelines •  Outreach to all producing areas &

abroad

Areas of focus ü What interventions or

treatments can be used to reduce the microbial loads on the surface of cantaloupes?

ü What is the prevalence of Lm throughout the supply chain?

§  Quantitative risk assessment

ü What roles do biofilms play?

§  Sanitation programs

A good place to start… Resources California melon research advisory board

•  http://cmrb.org/ UC Davis

•  http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veg_info_crop/melons_cantaloupe.htm Cornell National GAPS

•  http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/FSBFEng.html Center for Produce Safety

•  cps.ucdavis.edu USDA

•  http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/fv PMA

•  www.pma.com

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www.pma.com

Thank You Jhepner@pma.com