The Produce Contamination Problem: Causes and Solutions (Food Science and Technology)

Understanding the causes and contributing factors leading to outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with contamination of fresh produce continues to be a worldwide challenge for everyone-from the growers of fresh-cut produce through the entire production and delivery process. Additionally, researchers are facing an increased challenge to develop means of preventing these foodborne illness occurrences. The premise of The Produce Contamination Problem is that once human pathogen contamination of fresh produce has occurred, it is extremely difficult to reduce pathogen levels sufficiently to assure microbiological safety with the currently available technologies based on washing with sanitizing agents. A wiser strategy would be to avoid crop production and handling conditions that result in microbial contamination to start. These critical, problem-oriented chapters have been written by researchers active in the areas of food safety and microbial contamination during production, harvesting, packing and fresh-cut processing of horticultural crops, and were designed to provide methods of contamination avoidance.

This book will be invaluable for researchers and professionals in academic, professional and government settings faced with addressing this continuing challenge. Coverage includes policy and practices in the US, Mexico and Central America, Europe and Japan.

KEY FEATURES: *Addresses foodborne contaminations from a prevention view, providing proactive solutions to the problems *Covers core sources of contamination and methodologies for identifying those sources

*Includes best practice and regulatory information

*Explains limitations of conventional decontamination technologies, and examines prospects for more effective interventions

*Focuses on commodities with a history of involvement in foodborne illness