Reported Foodborne Outbreaks Due to Fresh Produce in the United States and European Union: Trends and Causes

Abstract

The consumption of fruit and vegetables continues to rise in the United States and European Union due to healthy lifestyle recommendations. Meanwhile, the rate of foodborne illness caused by the consumption of these products remains high in both regions, representing a significant public health and financial issue. This study addresses the occurrence of reported foodborne outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables consumption in the United States and European Union during the period 2004-2012, where data are available. Special attention is paid to those pathogens responsible for these outbreaks, the mechanisms of contamination, and the fresh produce vehicles involved. Norovirus is shown to be responsible for most of the produce-related outbreaks, followed by Salmonella. Norovirus is mainly linked with the consumption of salad in the United States and of berries in the European Union, as demonstrated by the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). Salmonella was the leading cause of multistate produce outbreaks in the United States and was the pathogen involved in the majority of sprouts-associated outbreaks. As is reflected in the MCA, the pattern of fresh produce outbreaks differed in the United States and European Union by the type of microorganism and the food vehicle involved.

Determination of the efficacy of ultrasound combined with essential oils on the decontamination of Salmonella inoculated lettuce leaves

“…Hence, they have been catalogued as high risk food products. Moreover, in recent years, there has been an increment of consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits due to their health benefits linked to the prevention of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity (Callej on et al, 2015). Therefore, the food industry has to implement sound and safe decontamination technologies to ensure high availability of safe fresh produce to the consumers.…”

Microbicidal action of photoirradiated aqueous extracts from wine lees

“…Although the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is essential to deliver health benefits (Wang et al 2014), fruits and vegetables must be sanitized to avoid disease outbreaks associated with microbial contamination (Callejon et al 2015;Kozak et al 2013;Lynch et al 2009;Mellmann et al 2011). The major limitation of the present study was that the effect of photoirradiated WLE was examined only in in vitro conditions.…”

Detection and Quantification of <i>Listeria</i><i> </i><i>m</i><i>onocytogenes</i> in Ready-to-eat Vegetables, Frozen Vegetables and Sprouts Examined by Culture Methods and Real-time PCR

“…Since these vegetable foods do not need further treatment such as cooking before consumption, their contamination by foodborne pathogens could pose a high health risk for humans [1]. According to international law, unsafe food should not be placed on the market and to meet this requirement, microbiological testing must be performed on raw materials and finished products, as well as during the manufacturing process.Due to the short shelf life of raw vegetables, fast and automated detection systems for pathogens are required.…”