As a supplier or purchaser of fresh produce, it’s absolutely vital that the highest produce washing standards are met and maintained. While almost all food manufacturers adhere to basic regulations, it is important to accurately monitor levels of disinfectant to ensure adequate safety measures are in place.
The case for proper washing procedures was made woefully apparent in the USA, when an outbreak of E.Coli that affected 98 people in 22 states was traced back to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona. Concerningly, the contamination occurred during the packaging and distribution chain – as opposed to at the farm where the lettuce was grown. It has also not been traced back to a specific supplier or brand.
Globally, foodborne illnesses kill 420,000 people per year – and cause 600 million people to fall ill, according to statistics from the World Health Organisation. With this E.Coli outbreak in the USA, and the ongoing threat of foodborne disease around the world, it has never been more important to ensure produce is washed with adequate levels of disinfectant.
The E.Coli case in America is particularly important for retailers in the UK, as the CDC has issued advice to avoid ALL bagged romaine lettuce – severely hindering sales for all producers and creating fear in consumers. The lack of a clear culprit is also troubling. Regardless of where the outbreak occurs, it is impractical to expect a customer to be able to discern whether your own produce is safe. In times of foodborne illness, all manufacturers will suffer.
This makes it doubly vital that a better standard of fresh produce sanitisation is adopted – testing regularly for sanitisers including chlorine, chlorine dioxide and peroxyacetic acid (PAA) to ensure levels are adequate. Only with adequate levels of disinfectant can manufacturers aim to eliminate outbreaks.
Germany
One of the world’s worst foodborne outbreaks was an E.Coli case that occurred in sprouted vegetables coming from a farm in Bienenbuttel, Lower Saxony, Germany. The outbreak affected a total of 3950 people and led to 53 deaths – making it Europe’s worst ever foodborne illness case. During the scare, cucumbers were wrongly blamed as the culprit. This case led to a sharp fall in sales of cucumbers and other fresh produce – leading to massive material losses for farmers and a lack of buyer confidence.
USA
A 2011 listeriosis outbreak in the US was linked to cantaloupe melons grown at Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado. The outbreak killed 33 people and caused one women to miscarry – making it one of the deadliest in US history. This case is notable because listeria is usually found in unpasteurised foods and meat. The FDA found that the melons were infected by dirty equipment that had been repurposed from potato processing factories.
The company responsible, Jensen Brothers, declared bankruptcy following the event. The owners, Eric and Ryan Jensen, were arrested and charged criminally for failing to adequately wash their cantaloupes. It was one of the rare cases of criminal responsibility being established. 66 victims also managed to gain settlements related to the outbreak in 2015.
Overall, this case serves as the perfect example of the immense risks of not properly washing salads. Not only can owners be prosecuted, but you can also find your business shut down and forced to pay immense legal costs.
UK
In 2013, a major supermarket issued a recall on its own-brand watercress due to an E.Coli outbreak that affected 15 people. The brand had to recall more than just the watercress, removing a number of organic produce lines – showcasing the impact of even minor scares.
In 2016, the UK media was gripped by sensational stories of bagged, washed salad posing a salmonella risk. The report came from a peer-reviewed journal named Applied and Environmental Microbiology However, the NHS analysed the reporting to remind consumers that no actual bagged salads had been found to be contaminated. Instead, the issue is that there is simply a potential for salmonella to grow in a bagged environment.
For produce washers, this advice is interesting – the report did not help consumers determine whether they’d be safer with unwashed salad, salad washed in spring water or chlorinated water. It instead indicated that if salmonella was already present, broken salad leaves could make the issue worse. The news simply reinforces the demand on growers and packagers to ensure they do all that they can to eliminate bacteria in the production process.
With foodborne illness still widespread, strong contamination controls are essential to protect consumers and brands from serious legal and financial risk. Produce washers must meet the highest food safety standards, with disinfectant levels continuously monitored.
Consistent standards across all suppliers help buyers reduce risk, build confidence, and prevent outbreaks or widespread produce boycotts. At Palintest, we support facilities in verifying safe disinfectant levels and encourage buyers to commit their supply chains to higher standards of monitoring and food safety.
Click here to find out more about Kemio technology.
Kemio has specifically been designed to support effective sanitization procedures in food processing. Kemio technology offers significant advantages compared to alternative techniques for sanitizer control in food and beverage. Unlike traditional methods, Kemio has minimal user input which reduces potential operator errors and variation in results.
Kemio is suitable for all sample types; it is not affected by coloured samples or by turbidity. Find out more about how Kemio technology can help support you by contacting our team.
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