Executive Summary
CPS has prioritized research into many facets of sampling and pathogen detection in fruit and vegetable production environments and the development of tools like pathogen surrogates and indicator organisms to help the industry conduct validation studies, assess contamination risks, and conduct future research. The learnings from these efforts are summarized here:
- Preharvest product sampling strategies can be more effective than finished product sampling plans.
- When sampling ag water, product tissues, or production environments the larger the volume, mass, or area, the better, but it is important to control for sampling variables.
- Models have been developed that can help inform the development of more effective sampling strategies for packing and processing operations.
- It is important to understand the specificity and sensitivity of the test method when testing for pathogen.
- Pathogen surrogates must be selected and understood genetically and physiologically for each application where they are to be used.
- Caution should be used in relying solely on generic E. coli as an indicator of human pathogens in agricultural water or other applications.
- Genomics technologies can provide opportunities to identify indicator organisms on a region-specific basis.
- New technologies are enabling scientists to better understand the biology of emerging human pathogens like human norovirus (HuNoV) and Cyclospora as well as develop improved detection tools.