Importance of Hand Hygiene during the Harvesting of Strawberries

Abstract

<jats:p>Foodborne outbreaks linked to poor hygiene indicate a need for education on the importance of hand hygiene during harvesting of fruit. This study simulated two potential scenarios (laboratory and field) that would lead to the transfer of <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic> O157:H7 from hands to strawberries (<jats:italic>Fragaria</jats:italic> ×<jats:italic>ananassa</jats:italic>), harvesters, and field plants. The potential of direct transfer of <jats:italic>E. coli</jats:italic> O157:H7 from contaminated “pig skin” hands to strawberries was shown in Scenario 1. The potential of <jats:italic>E. coli</jats:italic> O157:H7 being transferred from contaminated hands to strawberries during harvesting was shown in all treatments up to the 100th strawberry tested with a transfer rate of 71% (1 berry) to 45% (100 berries) of <jats:italic>E. coli</jats:italic>. Scenario 2 mimicked the “bacteria” transfer from the worker’s contaminated hands to the workers’ clothing and to the field with the use of glowing lotion. It was shown that contaminated hands can transfer “bacteria” to the worker’s clothing, shoes, the picked strawberries, and the strawberry plants, weeds and straw mulch within the field (average spread of 50.25 ft from starting point). The transfer rate varied from worker to worker. Hand hygiene and proper worker training are essential for food-safe harvesting to avoid foodborne outbreak events.</jats:p>

Microbial Contamination of Fresh Produce: What, Where, and How?

“…They are normally handpicked and packaged on site, often being later exported to consumer countries (Quansah et al, 2019). Hygiene during picking and packaging processes, including the absence of toilets or hand washing facilities (Julien-Javaux et al, 2019), as well as manipulation by infected handlers, are reported causes of microbial contamination (Atmar et al, 2008;Ramsay & Upton, 1989;Shaw, Svoboda, Jie, Daraba, & Nonnecke, 2015;Verhaelen et al, 2013). Other fruits and fruit juices have also been linked with microbial contamination (Garner & Kathariou, 2016;Jackson et al, 2015;Wadamori, Gooneratne, & Hussain, 2017), mainly caused by contaminated food handlers (CDC, 2008), and usage of unwashed, dropped fruits in contact with manure contaminated soil, such as oranges and bananas (Besser et al, 1993;CDC, 1975;Cook et al, 1998;Harris et al, 2003;Millard et al, 1994;Tamblyn, Taylor, & Stratton, 1999).…”

Foodborne Bacterial, Viral, and Protozoan Pathogens in Field and Market Strawberries and Environment of Strawberry Farms

“…Viable Cronobacter or its DNA was also demonstrated in irrigation water and from hands of workers (Table ). A recent study showed that contaminated hands could transfer bacteria to the worker's clothing, straw mulch within the field, strawberry plants, and the picked strawberries (Shaw, Svoboda, Jie, Daraba, & Nonnecke, ). As it was mentioned above, the F1 environment showed significantly lower proportion of E. coli positive samples compared to other farms ( P < 0.01; standardized Pearson's residuals).…”

Influence of agronomic practices and pre-harvest conditions on the attachment and development of Listeria monocytogenes in vegetables

“…The hands of workers in the food sector contaminated by human pathogens can be implicated in foodborne outbreaks (Todd et al 2010). Contaminated workers' hands were implicated in the transfer of S. enterica serotype Enteritidis on lettuce (Waitt et al 2014) and E. coli O157:H7 on strawberries (Shaw et al 2015). Hand contamination was also the cause of transferred contamination of generic E. coli to carrots (Monaghan and Hutchison 2016).…”