Ask 2018 CPS Research Symposium attendees which research report resonated most with them, and many will point to Virginia Tech’s Laura Strawn, Ph.D., et al. This work demonstrates that every link in the supply chain can impact produce safety, from farm to retail.
Strawn’s cantaloupe findings are considered generally applicable to all field-harvested commodities. (Hints: Ditch rubberized gloves in favor of single-use ones. And just say no to foam contact surfaces.) In fact, the Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force referred to Strawn’s research to make recommendations for sanitizing leafy greens harvesting equipment.
“We use CPS research findings to continuously improve our food safety program…It is important to our company that we have a culture of food safety.”
Sharan LaniniTakeaway questions for industry:
- Has your company implemented a daily cleaning and sanitation program for all food safety surfaces, equipment, etc.?
- What kind of gloves are your field and packinghouse workers wearing?
- Are any of your contact surfaces made of foam?
- Does your food safety program go “beyond the audit”, to include training, education, tools and other resources?
Source(s):
- Strawn, Danyluk and Chapman, 2017. “Control of cross contamination during field pack and retail handling of cantaloupes.”