Food Protection Trends - August 2012 - (Page 496)

THOUGHTS on Today’s Food Safety . . . Threats to Ingredient Water Safety DOROTHY M. WRIGLEY* Biology Department 242 S. Trafton Science Center Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN 56001, USA The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) provides excellent educational resources for its members. The latest additions to its arsenal of resources are the webinars. What a great way to provide updates for members! The Water Quality and Safety PDG sponsored one recently, hosted by Susan McKnight, chair of the Professional Development Group (PDG). Several key points in the presentations echoed the messages from two nonfiction popular press books published in the past two years: Steven Solomon’s Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization (Harper Collins, New York) and Charles Fishman’s The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water (Free Press, New York). Dr. Chuck Gerba, University of Arizona, detailed results from his work and the work of others on microbes in municipal water. One take-home message from the books and Dr. Gerba’s talk is that the aging infrastructure in municipalities, individual homes, and industries poses a risk to food safety, because the high-quality water exiting water treatment plants often degrades as it travels through the aging water distribution system. Dr. Gerba reviewed the presence of adenovirus in groundwater. Because leaking sewer lines have been shown to be a potential source of adenovirus found in groundwater, if proper attention is not paid to aging systems, the risks will only increase. Aging water distribution systems can also negatively impact food taste and odor. Biofilms are archenemies of water systems. One culprit, Mycobacterium avium, is linked to chronic inflammatory disease. The organism is not easily cultured in the laboratory; further- more, it is somewhat chlorine resistant, making it a challenging species. All hazards in water increase with global warming. Microorganisms in water sources rise with high-volume rain events. Higher temperatures enable growth and alteration of the “normal” populations of microorganisms. Food production may also be affected as warmer global water allows spread of pathogens into “new” territories. Phyllis Posy, Atlantium Technologies, reviewed the mandatory water quality reports that municipalities must send to their constituents and graphically demonstrated that one needs to read past the first paragraphs to truly understand the microbial risks that exist. She also mentioned biofilms and the problems posed by chlorine-resistant organisms and issues associated with use of ultraviolet light as a disinfectant. The same issues associated with global warming, such as heavier rainfall events and associated water turbidity, will impact how and when to apply newer technologies to water treatment. Both talks reminded us that although water does not often make headlines, it is still an important ingredient to monitor, because it can add to risk at all levels of food production. Thus failing water systems impact food producers, processors and consumers. *Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 507.389.5738; Fax: +1 507.389.2788 E-mail: dorothy.wrigley@mnsu.edu 496 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | AUGUST 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - August 2012

Food Protection Trends - August 2012
Contents
Sustaining Members
From Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
Efficacy of Various Consumer-Friendly Produce Washing Technologies in Reducing Pathogens on Fresh Produce
Assessing Factors Contributing to Food Safety Culture in Retail Food Establishments
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Advertising Index
Coming Events
Thoughts on Today’s Food Safety...Threats to Ingredient Water Safety

Food Protection Trends - August 2012