Progress 01/15/21 to 01/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary audience involved in this project included produce farms in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, associations working with produce farms (e.g., United Fresh, National Farmers Union, Produce Marketing Association, Produce Safety Programs within State Departments of Ag.) and FDA CFSAN were involved in activities related to survey review and distribution of the questionnaire to produce farms across U.S. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The workshopsprovided training to 76 people, representing produce industry stakeholders and food science students. MS student (Erik Ohman) was given the opportunity to present to industry members at a Wilbur Ellis sponsored Food Safety Seminar and to the greater food safety community at the International Association for Food Protection Conferences in 2022 and 2023. Presentations covered findings from research on cleaning and sanitation practices at produce facilities and their efficacy. This project has also provided a MS student the opportunity to participate in an onion grower conference in Nampa, Idaho. In addition to learning about the onion industry and food safety challenges they face, the student also networked with members of the onion and onion-adjacent industries at the tradeshow and annual meeting that took place during the conference. MS student also visited an onion handling facility in Ontario, Oregon, which provided him with a firsthand experience with produce handling and packaging operations. MS student was also trained in Scanning Electron Microscopy. The student completed three sessions of one-on-one mentoring with faculty members of the Electron Microscopy Department at Oregon State University. MS student was awarded three scholarships from the following three organizations: Oregon Section Institute of Food Technology, Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association, and Food Northwest Education Research Institute. MS student attended the Produce Safety Alliance training and received a training certificate. The student was also provided with the opportunity to attend On-Farm Readiness Review demonstrations and discussions with the tree fruit industry in Hood River, OR and blueberry industry representatives in Aumsville, OR. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A manuscript describing the survey work has been published in Food Protection Trends journal. Data from objectives 2 and 3 were published inopen access journals, Journal of Food Protection and Food Microbiology, respectively. They are freely available online. An abstract describing the data on the growth of L. monocytogenes in pasteurized and unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices has been presented at the IAFP 2022 annual conference, and two abstracts describing the work from objective 2 were presented as a poster and technical talk presentation at the IAFP 2023 conference (Toronto, Canada). Additional data from objective 3 related to Salmonella will be presented at the IAFP 2024 annual conference. Additional resources, such as case studies and extension materials, were developed for the workshops and will be freely available through OSU Extension (Farm Food Safety page) website in 2024. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Data from the national survey were analyzed and published in a manuscript in the Food Protection Trends journal (Ohman et al., 2023). Survey responses (n=162) represented 135 produce operations from 18 different states. The most common materials reported for harvesting containers (n=50 responses) were plastic (80%), wood (30%), cardboard (16%), and canvas (12%), while stainless steel (81%) and plastic (71%) were most commonly used for post-harvest equipment (n=42 responses). Bleach (40/63), quaternary ammonium compounds (32/63), and peracetic acid (26/63) were the most commonly reported sanitizers. Respondents indicated there is a need for resources on principles and practical implementation of C/S, identification of hazards and prioritizing C/S activities, establishing a C/S program, and verification of C/S effectiveness, in English, Spanish and other languages. High turnover and seasonal workforce (37/65) and no time to C/S (19/65) were indicated as major barriers for improving C/S in a facility. The results of the survey helped guide two virtual C/S workshops in 2021 and 2022, and an in-person workshop piloted in September 2023 in Corvallis, OR. More information about this objective is available in the publication: Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Cleaning and sanitizing in produce facilities: identifying compliance gaps and associated training needs, opportunities and preferences. Food Prot. Trends. 43(5):409-418. https://doi.org/10.4315/FPT-23-011. Objective 2: Different cleaning and/or sanitizing practices were evaluated to reduce microbial and organic loads on various food contact surfaces (FCSs). Microbial (aerobic plate counts; APCs) and organic (ATP) loads were quantified during production, after rinsing or cleaning, and after sanitizing, if applicable. Facilities included: a berry packinghouse (BerryPK; wet cleaning), a blueberry harvest contractor (BerryHC; cleaning + sanitizing, C+S), and two mixed vegetable packinghouses (MixedV1; C+S, and MixedV2; rinsing + sanitizing, R+S). Following wet cleaning, significant reductions in APCs (p < 0.05) were seen on plastic storage trays (n = 50) in BerryPK (3.1 ± 0.9 to 2.5 ± 0.7 log CFU/100 cm2). In BerryHC, a greater reduction in APCs was seen on plastic harvest buckets (n = 25) following C+S (3.8 ± 0.5 to 1.1 ± 0.4 log CFU/100 cm2), compared to wet cleaning only in BerryPK. Stainless steel and conveyor belt FCSs (n = 16) in MixedV1 were sampled, and a significant reduction in APCs (p < 0.05) was observed when comparing in-use (4.8 ± 1.3 log CFU/100 cm2) to post-C+S (3.9 ± 0.7 log CFU/100 cm2). When similar FCSs (n = 17) were sampled in MixedV2, R+S also led to significant reduction in APCs (3.3 ± 0.6 to 1.9 ± 0.6 log CFU/100 cm2) (p < 0.05). Use of ATP in fresh produce settings yielded inconsistent results, with no correlation between organic and bacterial loads detected during production (R2 = 0.00) across four operations, and weak correlations observed after cleaning (R2 = 0.21) and after sanitation (R2 = 0.35). The results from this study provide the foundational basis for future research on practical and effective C/S methods tailored to the produce industry. The data were published in the Journal of Food Protection (open access): Ohman, E., S. Kilgore, J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Before and after: evaluation of microbial and organic loads in produce handling and packing operations with diverse cleaning and sanitizing procedures. J. Food Prot. 100185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100185. Objective 3:Different cleaning and/or sanitizing (C/S) methods were investigated for their efficacy of reducing Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonellaspp. on food contact surfaces (conveyor belt [CB], high density polyethylene [HDPE], stainless steel [SS], and plywood [PW]) soiled with plant material. Coupons (2.5 cm diameter) were inoculated with a six-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes or five-strain cocktail of Salmonella in the presence of blended cabbage, inverted and placed on tryptic soy agar with yeast extract (TSAYE) at 37°C for 24 h (>9 log CFU/coupon). C/S methods included: rinse only (RO), multi-step clean (MSC: dry clean, wash with detergent, rinse), sanitize only (SO: peroxyacetic acid (PAA), bleach, or a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) at manufacturer recommended concentrations), or cleaning followed by sanitizing (C+S). The effect of drying after each treatment was also evaluated. Treated coupons (n = 4) were transferred to Dey Engley broth with glass beads (1 g), vortexed and enumerated on Harlequin-TSAYE (for L. monocytogenes) or Hektoen Enteric-TSAYE (for Salmonella). For L. monocytogenes, treatment CO (without drying [WoutD]) led to an average of 2 log CFU/coupon reduction on non-porous surfaces (NPS; HDPE, SS), whereas on porous surfaces (PS; CB, PW) reductions averaged 1.1 ± 0.1 and 0.6 ± 0.5 log CFU/coupon, respectively. Similar reductions were noted with CO applications to Salmonella contaminated surfaces, with 2.4 ± 0.4 and 2.6 ± 0.6 log CFU/coupon reductions on NPS (HDPE and SS, respectively) and 0.8 ± 0.3 and 1.1 ± 0.2 reductions on PS (W and CB, respectively). C+S with and without drying led to >5-log reduction of L. monocytogenes (81%; n = 48) and Salmonella (94%; n = 72) on NPS, whereas lower L. monocytogenes (1.8 ± 0.2 and 1.9 ± 0.3 log CFU/coupon) and Salmonella reductions (1.2 ± 0.3 and 2.3 ± 0.6 log CFU/coupon) were seen on PW and CB, respectively after C+S with PAA (WoutD). Treatments RO and SO reduced L. monocytogenes on all tested surfaces, however the reduction was lower compared to CO and C+S, respectively. Salmonella inactivation increased with sanitizer application (with or without a cleaning step) compared to CO treatments (p < 0.0001). On PS, C+S with PAA was most effective against L. monocytogenes, followed by bleach and QAC (p < 0.05). Drying after the application of a sanitizer on PS improved the reduction of L. monocytogenes by an average of 0.4 ± 0.1 log CFU/coupon (p < 0.05). Similar to L. monocytogenes, sanitizer efficacies differed in their ability to inactivate Salmonella on food contact surfaces. Regardless of prior cleaning status, bleach and QAC were comparable in efficacy, and both were less effective than PAA (p<0.0001). Drying improved all sanitizers' ability to reduce Salmonella (p < 0.0001). These data highlight lower reductions in L. monocytogenes and Salmonella using partial cleaning and/or sanitizing methods on different surface types found in the produce industry, especially on porous surfaces, while confirming the benefit of multi-cleaning with sanitizing steps. The data on L. monocytogenes were published in Food Microbiology journal (open access): Ohman, E., S. Kilgore, J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2024. Efficacy of cleaning and sanitizing procedures to reduce Listeria monocytogenes on food contact surfaces commonly found in fresh produce operations. Food Microbiol. 118:104421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2023.104421. Objective 4: The project team collaborated with FDA CFSAN, United Fresh, PMA, and NMU to develop a framework for a remotely delivered cleaning and sanitizing workshop. Two pilot workshops were completed (January 2021 and January 2022); with Oregon State University team hosting the 2nd pilot workshop in January 2022. Feedback obtained from these workshops was analyzed and used for the development of a one-day in-person workshop, piloted in September 2023 in Corvallis, OR. A total of 76 people were trained in the workshops, representing 46 produce industry professionals and 30 food science students.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kovacevic, J., S. Brown, J. Waite-Cusic. 2021. Cleaning and sanitizing in produce facilities: training gaps, opportunities and industry preferences. International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ, July 18-21, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2022. Relative growth of Listeria monocytogenes in unpasteurized and pasteurized low acid produce juices. International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Pittsburg, PA, July 31-August 3, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. G. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. Bacterial transfer during blueberry harvest. International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada, July 16-19, 2023.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. G. Waite-Cusic, S. Kilgore, J. Kovacevic. Evaluating the cleaning and sanitation practices of fresh produce farms and packinghouses in the Pacific Northwest. International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada, July 16-19, 2023.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Cleaning and sanitizing in produce facilities: identifying compliance gaps and associated training needs, opportunities and preferences. Food Prot. Trends. 43(5):409-418. https://doi.org/10.4315/FPT-23-011.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., S. Kilgore, J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Before and after: evaluation of microbial and organic loads in produce handling and packing operations with diverse cleaning and sanitizing procedures. J. Food Prot. 100185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100185.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Ohman, E., S. Kilgore, J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2024. Efficacy of cleaning and sanitizing procedures to reduce Listeria monocytogenes on food contact surfaces commonly found in fresh produce operations. Food Microbiol. 118:104421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2023.104421.
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E. 2023. Cleaning and Sanitizing Surfaces on Produce Farms: Optimizing What, How, and When. [MS Thesis] Oregon State University. Available at: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/r494vt25n
|
Progress 01/15/22 to 01/14/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary audience involved in the efforts during this reporting period included produce farms in the Pacific Northwest. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided the MS student the opportunity to participate in an onion grower conference in Nampa, Idaho. In addition to learning about the onion industry and food safety challenges they face, the student also networked with members of the onion and onion-adjacent industries at the tradeshow and annual meeting that took place during the conference. MS student also visited an onion handling facility in Ontario, Oregon, which provided him with a firsthand experience with produce handling and packaging operations. MS student was also trained in Scanning Electron Microscopy. The student completed three sessions of one-on-one mentoring with faculty members of the Electron Microscopy Department at Oregon State University. MS student was given the opportunity to present to industry members at a Wilbur Ellis sponsored Food Safety Seminar. Presentation covered findings from research on cleaning and sanitation practices at produce facilities and their efficacy. This presentation was titled: Production Practices and Dry Bulb Onion Safety: Research Update. MS student was awarded three total scholarships from the following three organizations: Oregon Section Institute of Food Technology, Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association, and Food Northwest Education Research Institute. MS student attended the Produce Safety Alliance training and received a training certificate. The student was also provided with the opportunity to attend On-Farm Readiness Review demonstrations and discussions with the tree fruit industry in Hood River, OR and blueberry industry representatives in Aumsville, OR. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A manuscript describing the survey work has been prepared and is currently in submission in Food Protection Trends journal. An abstract describing the data on the growth of L. monocytogenes in pasteurized and unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices has been presented at the IAFP 2022 annual conference, and two abstracts describing the work from objective 2 have been submitted and accepted for poster and technical talk presentation at the IAFP 2023 conference (Toronto, Canada). The development of additional resources, such as case studies and extension materials, is also anticipated towards the end of the project. These materials will be shared through workshops and freely available through OSU Extension (Farm Food Safety page) website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two manuscripts describing the work from objectives 2 and 3 will be prepared and submitted for publication. These findings will also be usedin the development of case studies and activities for a cleaning and sanitizing workshop (obj.4). Pre- and post-test surveys will be administered prior and immediately after two workshops planned in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, follow-up surveys, to measure participants' self-reported adoption and implementation of best practices (i.e., behavior change), will be administered six months following the training using Qualtrics.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We first engaged with produce farms to better understand cleaning and sanitizing practices and the produce industry's needs related to cleaning and sanitizing. The feedback that we received from individual farms in the Pacific Northwest, and through a national survey has been valuable in designing our approach to quantify real-world organic and microbial loads on different surfaces encountered in produce farms. Collectively, the findings from this research provide valuable information for industry growers, harvesters and packers to make data-driven decisions for the hygiene practices of their food contact surfaces. Objective 1: Data from the national survey were analyzed and prepared for a publication, currently in submission at Food Protection Trends journal. Survey responses (n=162) represented 135 produce operations from 18 different states. The most common materials reported for harvesting containers (n=50 responses) were plastic (80%), wood (30%), cardboard (16%), and canvas (12%), while stainless steel (81%) and plastic (71%) were most commonly used for post-harvest equipment (n=42 responses). Bleach (40/63), quaternary ammonium compounds (32/63), and peracetic acid (26/63) were the most commonly reported sanitizers. Respondents indicated there is a need for resources on principles and practical implementation of C/S, identification of hazards and prioritizing C/S activities, establishing a C/S program, and verification of C/S effectiveness, in English, Spanish and other languages. High turnover and seasonal workforce (37/65) and no time to C/S (19/65) were indicated as major barriers for improving C/S in a facility. The results of the survey helped guide a virtual C/S workshop in 2021, and an in-person workshop currently in development. Objective 2: Different cleaning and/or sanitizing practices were evaluated to reduce microbial and organic loads on various food contact surfaces (FCSs). Microbial (aerobic plate counts; APCs) and organic (ATP) loads were quantified during production, after rinsing or cleaning, and after sanitizing, if applicable. Facilities included: a berry packinghouse (Facility #1; wet cleaning), a blueberry harvest contractor (Facility #2; cleaning + sanitizing, C+S), and two mixed vegetable packinghouses (Facility #3; C+S, and Facility #4; rinsing + sanitizing, R+S). Following wet cleaning, significant reductions in APCs (p < 0.05) were seen on plastic storage trays (n = 50) in Facility #1 (3.1 ± 0.9 to 2.5 ± 0.7 log CFU/100 cm2). In Facility #2, a greater reduction in APCs was seen on plastic harvest buckets (n = 25) following C+S (3.8 ± 0.5 to 1.1 ± 0.4 log CFU/100 cm2), compared to wet cleaning only in Facility #1. Stainless steel and conveyor belt FCSs (n = 16) in a mixed vegetable operation (Facility #3) were sampled, and a significant reduction in APCs (p < 0.05) was observed when comparing in-use (4.8 ± 1.3 log CFU/100 cm2) to post-C+S (3.9 ± 0.7 log CFU/100 cm2). When similar FCSs (n = 17) were sampled in Facility #4, R+S also led to significant reduction in APCs (3.3 ± 0.6 to 1.9 ± 0.6 log CFU/100 cm2) (p < 0.05). Use of ATP in fresh produce settings yielded inconsistent results, with no correlation between organic and bacterial loads detected during production (R2 = 0.00) across four operations, and weak correlations observed after cleaning (R2 = 0.21) and after sanitation (R2 = 0.35). The results from this study provide the foundational basis for future research on practical and effective C/S methods tailored to the produce industry. Objective 3: Different cleaning and/or sanitizing (C/S) methods were investigated for their efficacy of reducing Listeria monocytogenes on food contact surfaces (conveyor belt [CB], high density polyethylene [HDPE], stainless steel [SS], and plywood [PW]) soiled with plant material. Coupons (2.5 cm diameter) were inoculated with a six-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes in the presence of blended cabbage, inverted and placed on tryptic soy agar with yeast extract (TSAYE) at 37°C for 24 h (>9 log CFU/coupon). C/S methods included: rinse only (R), multi-step clean (C: dry clean, wash with detergent, rinse), sanitize only (S: peroxyacetic acid (PAA), bleach, or a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) at manufacturer recommended concentrations), or C followed by sanitizing (C+S). The effect of drying after each treatment was also evaluated. Treated coupons (n = 4) were transferred to Dey Engley broth with glass beads (1 g), vortexed and enumerated on Harlequin-TSAYE. Treatment C led to an average of 2 log CFU/coupon reduction on non-porous surfaces (NPS; HDPE, SS), whereas on porous surfaces (PS; CB, PW) reductions averaged 1.1 ± 0.1 and 0.6 ± 0.5 log CFU/coupon, respectively. C+S led to >5-log reduction of L. monocytogenes on NPS (81%; n = 48), whereas lower reductions (1.8 ± 0.2 and 1.9 ± 0.3 log CFU/coupon) were seen on PW and CB, respectively after C+S with PAA. Treatments R and S reduced L. monocytogenes on all tested surfaces, however the reduction was lower compared to C and C+S, respectively. On PS, C+S with PAA was most effective, followed by bleach and QAC (p < 0.05). Drying after the application of a sanitizer on PS improved the reduction of L. monocytogenes by an average of 0.4 ± 0.1 log CFU/coupon (p < 0.05). These data highlight lower reductions in L. monocytogenes using partial cleaning and/or sanitizing methods on different surface types found in produce industry, especially on porous surfaces, while confirming the benefit of multi-cleaning with sanitizing steps. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of several different conveyor belts, wooden storage containers, and foam padding of a food contact surface were captured using the Electron Microscopy facilities on campus. These were obtained to get a better understanding of the physical properties of these materials, and how they are implicated in the adhesion of bacteria, namely L. monocytogenes. Additionally, SEM images were also taken of stainless steel, plastic, conveyor belt, and plywood after they had been inoculated with a cocktail of L. monocytogenes and multi-step cleaned, as described above. These images demonstrated the harborage of bacteria within the pores of materials such as plywood andconveyor belt. Objective 4.Feedback obtained from previous pilot, virtualworkshops with FDA CFSAN, United Fresh, PMA and NMU is being analyzed. The data from these workshops and the research findings from objective 2 and 3 are currently being collated and processed for inclusion in the short in-person workshop planned in the last year of the project.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Bacterial Transfer during Blueberry Harvest. Abstract submitted at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2023. Evaluating the Cleaning and Sanitation Practices of Fresh Produce Farms and Packinghouses in the Pacific Northwest. Abstract submitted to the International Association for Food Protection Annual Conference.
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Progress 01/15/21 to 01/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary stakeholders involved in the efforts during the first year of project included produce farms in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, associations working with produce farms (e.g., United Fresh, National Farmers Union, Produce Marketing Association, Produce Safety Programs within State Departments of Ag.) and FDA CFSAN were involved in activities related to survey review and distribution of the questionnaire to produce farms across U.S. Changes/Problems:Due to COVID-19 restrictions, sample collection on produce farms/packinghouses was not possible during 2020-2021 growing season. This resulted in a delay that impacted objective 2 activities. This part of the project has been moved to 2022, and active sample collection is scheduled from March to September 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided the MS student the opportunity to participate in an onion grower conference in Nampa, Idaho. In addition to learning about the onion industry and food safety challenges they face, the student also networked with members of the onion and onion-adjacent industries at the tradeshow and annual meeting that took place during the conference. MS student also visited an onion handling facility in Ontario, Oregon, which provided him with a firsthand experience with produce handling and packaging operations. MS student was also trained in Scanning Electron Microscopy. The student completed three sessions of one-on-one mentoring with faculty members of the Electron Microscopy Department at Oregon State University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of the survey have been presented at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) annual meeting in 2021, and shared with produce associations that helped us develop and disseminate the survey (e.g., United Fresh, PMA, National Farmers Union) as well as FDA CFSAN. A manuscript describing this work is currently in preparation. An abstract describing the data on the growth ofL. monocytogenesin pasteurized and unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices has been submitted to the IAFP to be presented in 2022. The development of additional resources, such as case studies and extension materials, is also anticipated towards the end of the project. These materials will be shared through workshops and freely available through OSU Extension (Farm Food Safety page) website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Next steps will include collection and analysis of swab samples at different produce farms/packinghouses (obj.2), and optimization of cleaning and sanitizing procedures for challenging food contact surfaces (obj.3). These findings will be used in the development of case studies and activities for a cleaning and sanitizing workshop (obj.4). Pre- and post-test surveys will be administered prior and immediately after two workshops planned in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, follow-up surveys, to measure participants' self-reported adoption and implementation of best practices (i.e. behavior change), will be administered six months following the training using Qualtrics.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In the first year of the project we engaged with produce farms to better understand cleaning and sanitizing practices and the produce industry's needs related to cleaning and sanitizing. The feedback that we received from individual farms in the Pacific Northwest, and through a national survey has been valuable in designing our approach to quantify real-world organic and microbial loads on different surfaces encountered in produce farms. Objective 1. A 44-question anonymous survey was administered via Qualtrics over a 3-week period in 2020. Survey was shared with produce growers through social media, Oregon State University food safety extension listservs, Oregon Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Program, United Fresh, National Farmers Union and Produce Marketing Association. The survey received 300 clicks with 162 responses, with respondents representing 185 produce operations across 18 different states. The preferred format for cleaning and sanitation (CS) education was an in-person workshop (55/126 responses); followed by a self-paced online course (27/126); hybrid course with pre-requisite background sessions online and in- person interactive sessions (25/126); and a live delivery through an online platform (19/126). The most common materials reported for harvesting containers were plastic (40/72), wood (16/72), cardboard (8/72), and canvas (6/72), while stainless steel (34/91) and plastic (30/91) were most commonly reported for post-harvest equipment. Most commonly used sanitizers included bleach (40/114), quaternary ammonium compounds (28/114), and peracetic acid (26/114). A large proportion indicated the need for resources related to CS (45/69), also translated to Spanish and other languages. Topics included: principles and practical implementation of CS, identification of hazards and prioritizing CS activities, establishing a CS program, and verification of CS effectiveness. High turnover and seasonal workforce (37/122) and no time to clean and sanitize (19/122) were indicated as major barriers for improving CS in a facility. The results of the survey helped guide the design for our objectives 2-4; and aided the development of a virtual cleaning and sanitizing workshop in collaboration with FDA CFSAN (piloted in January- March 2021). Objective 2. Three produce farms/packinghouses have been recruited to participate in on-site sampling and evaluation of the efficacy of their cleaning and sanitation procedures. We have a tentative commitment from a fourth facility, and are actively identifying contacts for the fifth and final farm. Sample collection is scheduled from March to September 2022. Objective 3. Preliminary data on the survival ofL. monocytogenesin different produce rinsates has been collected. Specifically, fresh cabbage, romaine lettuce, watermelon, and cantaloupe were purchased from a local grocery store and juiced using a handheld juicer. Pasteurized (63°C, 30 min) and unpasteurized juices (pH<4.6) were inoculated with a cocktail of eightL. monocytogenesstrains (2 log CFU/mL), in triplicate; incubated at 7°C for 15 days.L. monocytogenesgrew to high cell density (7-8 log CFU/mL) in all four pasteurized juices.L. monocytogenesgrowth was comparable between pasteurized and unpasteurized juices for watermelon (8.25±0.66 vs. 7.48±1.11 log CFU/mL) and cantaloupe (8.50±0.31 vs. 8.14±0.18 log CFU/ml). Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of several different conveyor belts, wooden storage containers, and foam padding of a food contact surface were captured using the Electron Microscopy facilities at Oregon State University. These were obtained to get a better understanding of the physical properties of these materials, and how they are implicated in the adhesion of bacteria, namely L. monocytogenes. Collectively, these data are being used to inform our experimental approach for the efficacy of cleaning and sanitizing procedures on challenging food contact surfaces. The next steps will include testing the efficacy of four steps of cleaning (recommended through Produce Safety Alliance curriculum) and sanitizing (manufacturer recommended concentrations used) on four different food contact surfaces soiled with produce rinsates contaminated with a cocktail ofL. monocytogenes(soaked 12-18 h, rinsed, aid-dried for 5 min). Objective 4. The project team has been collaborating with FDA CFSAN, United Fresh, PMA, and NMU to develop a framework for a remotely delivered cleaning and sanitizing workshop. Two pilot workshops were completed (January 2021 and January 2022); with Oregon State University team hosting the 2ndpilot workshop in January 2022. Feedback obtained from these workshops is currently being analyzed and will be used for the development of in-person workshops planned as part of objective 4.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Ohman, E., J. Waite-Cusic, J. Kovacevic. 2022. Relative growth of Listeria monocytogenes in unpasteurized and pasteurized low acid produce juices. Abstract submitted to the International Association for Food Protection Annual Conference.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Kovacevic, J., S. Brown, J. Waite-Cusic. 2021. Cleaning and sanitizing in produce facilities: training gaps, opportunities and industry preferences. International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ, July 18-21, 2021.
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