Prevalence and trends of bacterial contamination in fresh fruits and vegetables sold at retail in Canada

Publication date: September 2016 Source:Food Control, Volume 67 Author(s): Nelly Denis, Helen Zhang, Alexandre Leroux, Roger Trudel, Henri Bietlot In recent years, fresh fruits and vegetables have been linked to numerous foodborne illness outbreaks in different regions of the world, including in Canada. In light of rising concerns over the microbial safety of these commodities, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted retail surveys to obtain information on the occurrence of bacterial pathogens in a wide range of produce available in the Canadian marketplace (local vs. imported, organic vs. conventional). Samples (n = 31,329) were collected across Canada over four years (2009–2013) and consisted of leafy vegetables (n = 12,073), leafy herbs (n = 6032), green onions (n = 3381), cantaloupes (n = 3230), tomatoes (n = 4837) and berries (n = 1776). These samples were analysed in ISO 17025-accredited laboratories for various bacterial pathogens (Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, Shigella, Campylobacter and Listeria monocytogenes), as well as for generic E. coli, an indicator of fecal contamination. The Wilson confidence interval was used to determine the prevalence of the different micro-organisms in the commodities investigated. Control charts and seasonal indices, statistical tools adapted here to explore the large amount of data collected for each commodity, were used to identify potential adverse events or trends in bacterial contamination. ...
Source: Food Control - Category: Food Science Source Type: research