Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) causes approximately 265,000 illnesses and 3,600 hospitalizations annually and is highly associated with animal contamination due to the natural reservoir of ruminant gastrointestinal tracts. Free STEC-specific bacteriophages against STEC strains are also commonly isolated from fecal-contaminated environment. Previous studies have evaluated the correlation between the prevalence of STEC-specific bacteriophages and STEC strains to improve animal-associated environment. However, the similar information regarding free STEC-specific bacteriophages prevalence in produce growing area is lacking. Thus, the objectives of this research were to determine the prevalence of STEC-specific phages, analyze potential effects of environmental factors on the prevalence of the phages, and study correlations between STEC-specific bacteriophages and the bacterial hosts in pre-harvest produce environment. Surface water from 20 samples sites was subjected to free bacteriophage isolation using host strains of both generic E. coli and STEC (O157, six non-O157 and one O179 strains) cocktails, and isolation of O157 and non-O157 STEC strains by use of culture methods combined with PCR-based confirmation. The weather data were obtained from weather station website. Free O145- and O179-specific bacteriophages were the two most frequently isolated bacteriophages among all (O45, O145, O157 and O179) in this study. The results showed June and July had relatively high prevalence of overall STEC-specific bacteriophages with minimum isolation of STEC strains. In addition, the bacteriophages were likely isolated in the area—around or within city—with predominant human impact, whereas the STEC bacterial isolates were commonly found in agriculture impact environment. Furthermore, there was a trend that the sample sites with positive of free STEC bacteriophage did not have the specific STEC bacterial hosts. The findings of the study enable us to understand the ecology between free STEC-specific phages and STEC bacteria for further pre-harvest food safety management in produce environment.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of food safety. To date, there is no evidence to suggest that consuming food is associated with COVID‐19. Nevertheless, COVID‐19's impact on food safety and security has been grave. The world is currently experiencing several supply chain issues as a direct result of extensive lockdowns and impacts on essential workers' safety. However, disruption in the food supply, while catastrophic in nature, has created opportunities for the advancement of medical science, data processing, security monitoring, foodborne pathogen detection, and food safety technology. This article will discuss the key components for food safety during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The discussion will draw from lessons learned early in the outbreak and will analyze the etiology of the disease through a food safety perspective. From there, we will discuss personal protective equipment, detection of SARS‐CoV‐2, useful surrogates to study SARS‐CoV‐2, and the expanding field of data science, from the food safety point of view. In the future, scientists can apply the knowledge to the containment of COVID‐19 and eventually to future pandemics.