January/February 2021 - 10

FOOD SAFETY
ELIMINATING PATHOGENS
Addressing E. coli
outbreaks in leafy greens
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AND EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS AIM TO
ELIMINATE HARMFUL BACTERIA THAT CAUSE FOODBORNE ILLNESSES
By Melanie Epp
Contributing Writer
ALTHOUGH THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY
chain is one of the safest in the world,
the federal government notes there are
still approximately 48 million cases of
foodborne illness each year.
As a result, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has put great
emphasis on improving food safety,
especially in produce like leafy greens.
This emphasis is due, in part, to a
series of E. coli outbreaks that have
sickened consumers and rattled public
trust. Several government initiatives
aim to reduce incidents, and two
equipment manufacturers weigh in
on technological advances designed to
mitigate pathogen load in leafy green
production. Their work is timely.
Prevention, response and
addressing knowledge gaps
E. coli outbreaks in leafy greens
aren't new. In fact, between 2009
and 2018, FDA and CDC identified 40
foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxinproducing
E. coli (STEC) infections in
the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected
link to leafy greens.
While most E. coli strains are
harmless, STEC has the potential to
cause life-threatening issues, such as
bloody diarrhea, anemia, blood-clotting
problems and kidney failure.
Much work has been done to prevent
future outbreaks in leafy greens. Under
the FDA Food Safety Modernization
Act, the Produce Safety Rule (FSMA)
sets science-based standards that aim
to ensure water, compost, food contact
10 JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2 021
 Marianne Knorr-Jansen, Quality & Research, Sormac, studies leafy greens in the Netherlands.
Photo: Sormac
surfaces and other materials that touch
produce during growth, harvest,
packing, and handling don't cause
contamination. The Produce Safety
Rule also addresses worker hygiene
and possible infection from animals
in nearby fields.
Specifically, the FDA has developed
an act ion plan that focuses on
prevention, response, and addressing

January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2021

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