Understanding the fresh produce safety challenges

Abstract

Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is important for a balanced diet and healthy life-style. However, contamination of fresh produce is emerging as a major food safety challenge. In recent years, contaminated produce has been implicated in many foodborne outbreaks throughout the world. These foodborne outbreaks are not only a burden on public health but also cause heavy economic loss to the food industry. A recent report by Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) showed that the highest number of outbreaks was attributed to fresh produce commodity in the USA during 2002–2011. It is estimated that fresh produce causes the greatest number of illnesses and the largest average number of illnesses per outbreak.