Food Safety News – October 2010
Agency helping UK growers keep fresh produce clean and safe
A new guide to help UK growers keep produce free from microbial contamination has been published by the Food Standards Agency and the Horticultural Development Company (HDC).
The main concern for these crops is surface contamination by bacteria including Salmonella, E.coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Camplyobacter jejuni; and by viruses, such as Norovirus and Hepatitis A. Although cooking will destroy these pathogens, washing produce that is eaten uncooked, such as fruit and salads, does not remove contaminants effectively enough.
Crops in the UK are mostly grown in open fields and surface contamination can be caused in a number of ways, including:
- heavy rainfall washing livestock manure from one field to another and into streams and rivers used to irrigate crops
- poor staff hygiene
- badly composted manure
- poor cleaning of equipment and boxes
It is therefore important that growers follow good hygiene practices during production to minimise the risk of contamination.
Feedback from the study identified growers needed better guidance on microbial testing, and interpreting the relative risks in the areas of water, manure and worker hygiene.
Our comment:
Here at Hygiene Audit Systems we have long been concerned about the risks posed by using unwashed produce in food. This study will hopefully assist growers in preventing the risk of contamination however at present it is a fact that if fruit and vegetables are not washed properly then food poisoning can sometimes occur. In order to ensure that you are keeping your customers as safe as possible we recommend that all fresh produce is sanitised.
The traditional method of sanitising produce is by using chlorine however there are growing fears about the safety of chlorine by-products. Chlorine also has no effect on any pesticide residues in foods. That is why we recommend that companies use Fit Wash to sanitise their produce. Fit wash is a safer alternative to chlorine that not only kills off harmful bacteria but also cleans produce and removes pesticides, waxes and other contaminants.
Find out more about Fit Wash
We offer a range of Food Safety Solutions to help you ensure all foods sold are safe to eat
Please call us on 01727 866779 or email sales@hygieneauditsystems.com for more information
