Fresh-Cut Produce Safety

[Guest guest]

If you purchase fresh-cut produce, such as shredded lettuce, peeled baby

carrots, cut melons, sliced pineapples, etc., you might be interested in this

3/1/06 news release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the

safety of these items.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01328.html

 

 

 

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FDA News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

P06-33

March 1, 2006

Media Inquiries:

Michael Herndon, 301-827-6242

Consumer Inquiries:

888-INFO-FDA

 

 

FDA Issues Draft Guidance for the Safe Production of Fresh-Cut Fruits and

Vegetables To minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing

of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat

form, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published a draft guidance

document for producers of fresh-cut produce entitled " Guide to Minimize

Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables. "

" Fresh cut produce is the fastest growing sector of the fresh produce

industry. This document should help to improve safety by providing clearer

guidance on how to reduce health hazards that are potentially introduced during

the production process, " said Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.

Processing produce into fresh-cut produce increases the risk of bacterial

contamination and growth by breaking the natural exterior barrier of the produce

by peeling, slicing, coring, trimming, or mashing with or without washing or

other treatment before being packaged for consumption. Examples of fresh-cut

products are shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, salad mixes (raw vegetable

salads), peeled baby carrots, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, cut celery

stalks, shredded cabbage, cut melons, sliced pineapple, and sectioned

grapefruit.

This draft guidance discusses the production and harvesting of fresh produce

and provides recommendations for fresh-cut processing in several areas-- (1)

personnel health and hygiene, (2) training, (3) building and equipment, (4)

sanitation operations, and (5) fresh-cut produce production and processing

controls from product specification to packaging, storage and transport. The

final chapters provide recommendations on recordkeeping and on recalls and

tracebacks. The guide complements FDA's Current Good Manufacturing Practices

regulations by providing specific guidance on the processing of fresh-cut

produce.

In the draft guidance, FDA recommends that processors encourage the adoption

of safe practices by their partners throughout the supply chain, including

produce growers, packers, distributors, transporters, importers, exporters,

retailers, food service operators, and consumers, to ensure that the processor's

efforts will be enhanced. These practices include:

 

Establishing a company policy that employees report any active case of

illness to supervisors before beginning work and training;

Training supervisors to recognize typical signs/symptoms of infectious

disease; maintain the proper first aid to protect and cover any wound; and not

allow an employee to work with any aspect of fresh or fresh-cut produce,

processing equipment or tools until the wound has healed and/or the infectious

disease has been treated.

The guidance also recommends that fresh-cut processors consider a preventive

control program such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

system to build safety into the processing operations for fresh-cut fruits and

vegetables. HACCP is a prevention-based food safety system designed to prevent,

eliminate, or reduce to acceptable levels the microbial, chemical, and physical

hazards associated with food production.

FDA believes awareness of the common risk factors discussed in this guidance

and implementation of preventive controls determined by a firm to be appropriate

to its individual operations will enhance the safety of fresh-cut fruits and

vegetables.

Consumers can reduce their risk of illness from fresh-cut produce by following

safe handling practices such as refrigerating the product after purchase; using

only clean hands, utensils or dishes in preparing the product; and discarding

the product when the " use by " date has expired. More information on safe

handling practices of produce can be found at

http://portal.fightbac.org/pfse/toolsyoucanuse/phec/ " .

Written comments on the draft guidance may be submitted up to 60 days from the

date it is published. Comments should be sent to FDA's Dockets Management Branch

(HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville,

Md. 20852.

The draft guidance is accessible on the FDA Website at:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/guidance.html.

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