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OzFoodNet - fresh produce & foodborne disease in Australia

The 2006 United States outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 associated with spinach has highlighted the role of fresh produce in foodborne disease outbreaks. Australia has also experienced foodborne disease outbreaks associated with produce, such as cucumbers, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, rockmelons, paw paws and orange juice. Since fruit and vegetables are often eaten without cooking this key food safety control measure is not available to consumers.

In 2006 OzFoodNet, Australia's national foodborne illness surveillance and investigation system, was involved in the investigation of three outbreaks associated with fresh produce. All were due to Salmonella contamination and affected people in multiple states. The first outbreak affecting more than 120 people was linked to Salmonella Oranienburg contamination of alfalfa sprouts. The second outbreak occurred in October with more than 120 salmonellosis cases associated with consumption of Salmonella Saintpaul contaminated rockmelon. In November 2006 there was a small outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield associated with paw paw.

There are several possible reasons why there has been a recent increase in outbreaks associated with fresh produce, including:

• an enhanced ability to detect and investigate multistate outbreaks through OzFoodNet.
• new knowledge of the role of bacteria and their attachment to produce.
• centralised growing and distribution may provide more opportunities for contamination along the farm to retail chain.

Produce may be contaminated on the farm via poor quality irrigation water or animal faeces (either directly or indirectly). A solution to the issue of microbial contamination of fresh produce is not straightforward, especially as each fruit and vegetable has different characteristics. Rough surfaces of some fruits, vegetables and seeds for sprouting can harbour microorganisms. Some fruit and vegetables are available pre-cut and this increases the surface area for potential contamination and/or microbial growth if the cut product is not stored at chill temperatures.

It is important that industry associations and governments work together to identify ways to prevent foodborne illness arising from fresh produce. Food Standards Australia New Zealand is planning to develop primary production and processing standards for the fresh produce industry.

This article was contributed by OzFoodNet.
For more information contact: Martyn Kirk, Coordinating Epidemiologist, OzFoodNet
Tel: +61 2 6289 9010,
Email: martyn.kirk@health.gov.au