Western Institute for Food Safety & Security

Grants Received from Center for Produce Safety

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director of the Center for Produce Safety, announced the award of 17 new research grants during a meeting of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. Awardees included Michele Jay-Russell, for a project entitled Evaluation of amphibians and reptiles as potential reservoirs of foodborne pathogens and risk reduction to protect fresh produce and the environment and Linda Harris for a project entitled Influence of the pre-harvest environment on the physiological state of Salmonella and its impact on increased survival capability. More information may be found in the press release here

NRCS Projects

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Dr. Atwill leads three NRCS projects to clarify the microbial safety regarding sediment basins, stacked dairy manure solids, and algae mats.

Various concerns have been raised by the agricultural community regarding the potential microbiological safety of sediment basins for improving water quality or the use of stacked manure solids as a soil amendment in produce production fields. In addition, algal mats that persist throughout summer in either pre-irrigation ponds, irrigation canals, or nearby streams may provide a protected site for bacterial pathogens to persist in the produce production environment.

To address these concerns, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, has funded three projects entitled, “Evaluation of sediment basins for their impact on microbial food safety”, “Evaluation of the microbiological safety of stacked dried dairy manure as a soil amendment for produce production fields”, and “Evaluation of algal mats and algal biofilms as a reservoir of E. coli O157:H7”. These projects will help to develop Good Agricultural Practices to reduce bacterial pathogens in the produce production environment.

Drs. Michael Payne and Xunde Li, both at WIFSS, and David Lewis, Watershed Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension at Marin County, California, will function as key collaborators on several of the projects.

Scientists Work to Minimize Impact of High Sierra Grazing

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200

Does cattle grazing in the High Sierra affect water purity? If so, under what conditions and what can we do about it? Answers to those questions and more are the focus of a study under way by UC Davis, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies. Results from the study should help keep water in national forests safe for diverse public uses such as camping, fishing, swimming and more. "Our goal is to evaluate the scope of the problem and come up with real solutions for how to fix it," said UC Davis Cooperative Extension watershed specialist Ken Tate, the study's principal investigator. His co-investigator is UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist Rob Atwill, Director of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security.

eNewsletter, April 2011

Fri, 1 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Conferences and Meetings

WCFS Advisory Board Meeting

April 6, 2011
College Park, MD

Rob Atwill, Linda Harris, and Michele Jay-Russell traveled to College Park, MD, to meet with the WCFS Advisory Board meeting chaired by Chris Elkins at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Current and proposed research projects were discussed. For more information on FDA-sponsored and leveraged research, click here.

Beef and Range Field Day

April 9, 2011
UC Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center
Browns Valley, CA

Michele Jay-Russell attended the Beef and Range Field Day, which provided information to ranchers on UC extension programs such as the herd health program, using DNA information, niche markets, poisonous plants, and regulations regarding transport of agricultural equipment and livestock. For more information on UC extension programs, click here.

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News

AVMA Announces New Podcast: Chickens in the Neighborhood

A couple years ago, AVMA took a look at the ins and outs of running a chicken coop in a residential area. Now, with more and more towns and cities allowing people to have chicken coops in residential areas, consumers are asking questions about the safety of the eggs from these chickens. In this podcast, Dr. Michele Jay-Russell of the UC Davis Western Center for Food Safety discusses what you should know before you buy eggs from the house down the block, instead of the grocery store. Listen to the podcast here.

Chancellor Katehi and Provost Hexter Visit the School of Veterinary Medicine

April 8, 2011

Dean Bennie Osburn coordinated presentations on food safety and translational medicine during a visit with Chancellor Katehi and Provost Hexter. Michele Jay-Russell shared information on WIFSS and WCFS food safety research and outreach programs.

Chancellor Linda P. B. Katehi is among 212 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the world’s most prestigious honorary societies. Read the full story here.

Raw Milk Lecture for ACVPM Board Exam Prep Course

April 11, 2011

The American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) challenges fellow veterinarians engaged in public practice to improve the strength and breadth of their knowledge in veterinary preventive medicine by pursuing board certification. Expertise in food safety is a core requirement for certification.

Each year, candidates are selected to sit for the ACVPM board certification examination. Iowa State University’s Center for Food Security and Public Health sponsors a board preparatory course. Danelle Bickett-Weddle, Associate Director, and Glenda Dvorak, Assistant Director, invited Michele Jay-Russell to present a food safety lecture on pasteurization and emerging issues relating to consumer interest in raw dairy products. Jay-Russell was board certified by ACVPM in 1997, and has served on the Publications and Communications Committees.

eNewsletter, April 2012

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Meetings

Industrial College of the Armed Forces visited UC Davis and WIFSS

April 3, 2012
Davis, CA

A group of 18 persons (16 students and 2 faculty of Agribusiness Industry Study) from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) at the National Defense University visited UC Davis and WIFSS. The National Defense University campus is located at Fort McNair, Washington, DC.

The group is interested in issues pertaining to food security especially regarding Asia. They are also interested in how U.S. agriculture, agribusiness and research/educational institutions are drivers in the global agricultural products market and how that contributes to food security in the rest of the world. ICAF is a graduate level institution focusing on resourcing at the national strategic level. The students are a 60/40 split of military and civilian, most with 15-20 years’ experience in their professions. They spent a week looking at Agribusiness in California and visited UC Davis on April 3. Xunde Li met the group at WIFSS, presented to and had a discussion with the group on topics of International Agricultural Economy, Public Health and Food Safety.

ICAF personnel visiting WIFSS

Food Safety and Water Quality Co-management Forum

April 18, 2012
Watsonville, CA

This program, hosted by Farm, Food Safety, and Conservation Network, included two panel discussions in the morning and a field tour and discussion in the afternoon. The panel “Keeping Track of Changes in Food Safety Guidelines and Policy” discussed evolving food safety guidelines and policy, including the harmonization efforts between the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, and UC Davis Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Michele Jay-Russell participated in a panel discussion on “The Science of Risk Assessment” about current knowledge on the fate and transport of pathogens in the farm landscape. A news item about the meeting may be found here on the website of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Farm, Food Safety, & Conservation Network is a Central Coast region working group whose purpose is to facilitate the coordination of organizations to support the agricultural industry’s efforts to reduce food safety risks while minimizing impacts to water quality, wildlife and habitat.

Download the Meeting Agenda.

FDA Produce Farm Investigation Course

April 23-27, 2012
Tampa, FL

The goal of FDA’s Produce Farm Investigation course (ER321) is to train investigators and inspectors on how to conduct investigations at farms and packing facilities that have been implicated in fresh produce related outbreaks and positive pathogen samples. These findings will be used to identify possible contributing factors and environmental antecedents that led to the contamination. This course provides information on practices and conditions that may lead to microbiological contamination of fresh produce. The course includes presentations, site visits, interviews, hands-on exercises and group discussions. WIFSS’ Bruce Hoar, David Goldenberg, Elisabetta Lambertini, Missy Partyka, Rob Atwill, and Xunde Li participated in the course. FDA will conduct the course again in June and July in California through collaboration with WIFSS.

Publications

Abd, S.J., K.L. McCarthy, and L.J. Harris. 2012. Impact of storage time and temperature on thermal inactivation of Salmonella Enteritidis PT 30 on oil-roasted almonds. J. Food Sci. 77(1):M42-M47.

In the News

The Raw Milk Controversy

The New Yorker
Issue dated April 30, 2012

Michele Jay-Russell is quoted in this article by Dana Goodyear about the raw milk controversy. She also did a phone interview recorded in a podcast on New Yorker Out Loud with Curtis Fox (click on April 30 edition "listen" and the interview comes before the Stanford piece). The New Yorker focuses on taste and culinary aspects of raw milk. Jay-Russell provided information on the potential risks of raw milk and importance of weighing these risks against the perceived benefits. For more information on raw milk, visit www.realrawmilkfacts.com.

What consumers want to know about “Mad Cow Disease”

By Mike Payne

On April 24th, 2012 the US Department of Agriculture announced that routine surveillance testing had detected a California dairy cow with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).

But why would the USDA’s announcement indicate that the detection of this cow represents no danger to the human food supply?

Some background is helpful in understanding not only this case, but BSE in general:

What is BSE?

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a degenerative neurological disease of cattle caused by mis-folded proteins (“prions”) that accumulate in the central nervous system. Over a period of years these protein accumulations crowd and kill bovine nerve cells, causing abnormal behavior and leading to the disease’s common name of “Mad Cow Disease”. Historically BSE has been spread in livestock by the feeding of cattle-derived proteins back to cattle, a practice which has been banned in the United States since 1997. Contaminated feed was the cause of the BSE epidemic in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s, resulting in an decade-long outbreak involving some 180,000 cattle. Subsequently it was determined that, on rare occasions, people consuming tissues of BSE-affected cows could develop a neurological disease similar to both BSE and the human malady Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (CJD). Ultimately some 200 human cases of this “new-variant CJD” were identified in people living in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Is the U.S. Food Supply Safe?

Yes. The carcass of the animal detected this week was never presented for slaughter for human consumption and never entered the human food chain. More important than the detection and removal of this particular cow however, are the multi-layered regulatory precautions in place since the 1990s, precautions which are described below. Collectively these safety measures have been successful in protecting both U.S. consumers and livestock from outbreaks of BSE. To date, there have been no cases of BSE transmission to American consumers associated with beef produced in the United States. Lastly, a substantial body of scientific research indicates that BSE is not transmitted through milk.

Is this part of an “Outbreak”?

No. The current evidence suggests that the recently detected animal was a single, isolated case rather than part of an outbreak. Confirmatory testing demonstrated that the suspect animal was positive for “atypical” BSE, a spontaneous form that appears to occur rarely in individual animals. This sporadic form has been detected only twice before in US cattle, once in Texas in 2005 and again in Alabama in 2006. Sophisticated laboratory procedures (immunohistochemistry and Western Blot protein analysis) can differentiate between the spontaneous “atypical” form of BSE and the “typical” form associated with consumption of contaminated cattle feed. While the current case appears to be isolated, out of an abundance of caution State and Federal investigators are performing an extensive epidemiologic investigation which will include inspection of relevant animals, feed sources and records.

Are BSE Safeguards in U.S. Working?

Yes. Since 1997 the U.S. has implemented interlocking safeguards to protect human and animal health against BSE. Centered on prohibition of feeding ruminant-derived material back to ruminants, these precautions have to date prevented livestock outbreaks in the United States such as occurred in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s. Worldwide, similar preventative measures have ultimately reduced the number of BSE cases detected in foreign cattle from 37,311 in 1992 to just 29 in 2011. In order to ensure that U.S. safeguards are in place and effective, regulatory agencies continue an extensive BSE surveillance program. Since the surveillance program’s inception in 1990, more than 1 million cattle at greatest risk for BSE have been tested, with about 40,000 high-risk cattle tested annually. This program represents an aggressive surveillance, in fact exceeding international guidelines by 10 fold. Most importantly relative to human health, cattle tissues known to contain concentrations of the prion protein (such as brain, spinal cord, some small intestine, called Specified Risk Materials) are diverted away from the human food chain at slaughter. Lastly, non-ambulatory cattle (sometimes called "downer cows") are also prevented from entering the human food chain.

Taken as a whole, these three interlocking safeguards (the ruminant-to-ruminant fed ban, surveillance testing, removal of Specified Risk Materials from all cattle at slaughter), have been remarkably effective in preventing BSE in cattle from being transmitted to humans. There have been only three cases of “new-variant CJD” described in the United States. All three cases involved foreign nationals, two from the United Kingdom and one from Saudi Arabia. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there is strong evidence indicating that all three of these patients contracted disease while in their home country rather than during their stay in the U.S.

What is the University of California Doing to Help?

The University of California assists farmers in complying with the important feed regulations that prevent BSE from entering a herd.
Outreach materials from the University of California:

Additional information:

eNewsletter, April 2013

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200

Meetings and Conference

Oregon Dairy Industries 102nd Annual Conference

April 9, 2013
Salem, OR

Michele Jay-Russell gave an invited presentation entitled “Raw Milk: Are Health-Conscious Consumers Making an Unhealthy Choice?” to an audience of dairy producers and processors. Her talk was preceded by a panel of parents of three children who developed HUS following E. coli O157:H7 infection associated with drinking raw milk.

The panel was led by their nephrologist, David Rozansky, MD. The day also included talks on FSMA—Preparation and Survival; Getting Ahead with an Effective Environmental Monitoring Program; A Scientific Study of Animal Welfare and Milk Quality on Oregon’s Organic and Traditional Dairy Farms; and Marketing with Social Media. Jay-Russell’s talk may be found here.

More information about the ODI Annual Conference.

Lisbeth Goddik, Ph.D.
OSU Dairy Processing Extension Specialist
ODI Conference organizer

Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) Advisory Council Spring Symposium

April 18-19, 2013
Greenbelt, MD

Linda Harris attended the JIFSAN 2013 Advisory Council Annual Spring Symposium. The program entitled "Conundrum of Defining Food Safety – the Case of the Moving Zero” included industry, government and academic speakers covering the issue of chemical and microbial food safety in a world of advanced detection capabilities. The second day was devoted to a discussion of consumer perception of risk, how this perception has changed with time and the influence of social media on these perceptions. Strategies for effectively communicating risk to consumers were also discussed.

Texas A & M University One Health Program

April 24-26, 2013
College Station, TX

Bennie I. Osburn, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Dean Emeritus, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, was a guest of the TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences One Health Program. Osburn conducted transdisciplinary One Health seminars for students and faculty during his visit, and also met with selected faculty to explore possible collaborations about a very important One Health topic, “Training Future Investigators for Outbreaks of Zoonotic Pathogens in Leafy Green Fields.”

Citrus Postharvest Pest Control Conference

April 24, 2013
Santa Barbara, CA (via Adobe Connect)

California Citrus Packers Postharvest Research Seminar

April 25, 2013
Exeter, CA (via ReadyTalk)

Linda Harris gave a presentation entitled “Food Safety: Risks in the Packing House” in a program sponsored by UC Riverside Extension, held in Santa Barbara. The food safety segment of the program also included talks by David Gombas, United Fresh, on the new federal food safety regulations and what they mean to the fresh produce industry, and Trevor Suslow, UC Davis, who provided an update on Preharvest Microbial Food Safety Risk Assessment in the Field. The following day Harris, Gombas, and Suslow spoke to the California Citrus Packers Postharvest Research Seminar, which was presented by the Citrus Research Board and UC Cooperative Extension in Exeter.

News

Harris elected to International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Executive Board

Members of the International Association for Food Protection recently elected Linda Harris to the Executive Board as Secretary. Dr. Harris will take office at the conclusion of IAFP 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will fulfill a five-year commitment to the Association, serving as President beginning in August 2016. The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) represents more than 3,600 food safety professionals committed to Advancing Food Safety Worldwide®. The association includes educators, government officials, microbiologists, food industry executives and quality control professionals who are involved in all aspects of growing, storing, transporting, processing and preparing all types of foods. More information is available here.

Linda Harris

Sabbatical Leave

Linda Harris has headed to College Park, Maryland to begin her sabbatical leave at FDA CFSAN from April through January 2014. While at FDA she will be assisting with several FSMA-related activities in particular assisting in writing several documents including separate guidance for low moisture foods, tree nuts, spices and herbs and the criteria for validation of control measures for hazards. Her research program at UC Davis will continue while she is away thanks to her experienced staff and the ability to stay connected electronically.

What’s in Your Compost?

Advice for home gardeners on safe use of animal manure in home vegetable gardens appeared on the Food Blog page from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. The article by Trina Wood is based on the recently published scientific research manuscript by Michele Jay-Russell, John Madigan, and others in the School of Veterinary Medicine entitled “Salmonella Oranienburg Isolated from Horses, Wild Turkeys and An Edible Home Garden Fertilized with Raw Horse Manure” (see March newsletter Publications). The piece was also posted by Food Safety News. The article contains a link to a brochure in English and Spanish, “Food Safety Tips for Your Edible Home Garden,” that includes information about safe uses of animal manure and ways to minimize animal fecal contamination.

Publications

Gorski, L., M.T. Jay-Russell, A.S. Liang, S. Walker, Y. Bengson, J. Govoni, and R.E. Mandrell. 2013. Diversity of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pulsotypes, serovars, and antibiotic resistance among Salmonella isolates from wild amphibians and reptiles in the California Central Coast. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease ahead of print. doi:10.1089/fpd.2012.1372.

This paper reports subtyping results from a survey of cold-blooded vertebrates and associated surface waters in a produce-growing region on the Central California Coast.

Hoar, B., E.R. Atwill, L. Carlton, J.L. Celis, J. Carabez, and T. Nguyen. 2013. Buffers between grazing sheep and leafy crops augment food safety. California Agriculture 67(2):104-109. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v067n02p104. April-June 2013.

Researchers evaluated the existing safety guideline of 30 feet between sheep grazing on alfalfa in Imperial Valley and crops of leafy greens and found it adequate to minimize potential contamination of nearby crops.

Langholz, J.A., and M.T. Jay-Russell. 2013. Potential role of wildlife in pathogenic contamination of fresh produce. Human–Wildlife Interactions 7(1):140–157.

The authors review the literature related to E. coli O157 occurrence in wildlife and produce-related outbreaks involving investigation into potential wildlife sources.

Announcements

FSMA Updates & Comment Period Extensions

April 24, 2013

The FDA today issued Federal Register notices to extend the comment periods on the proposed rules for Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food (the Preventive Controls proposed rule) and Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (the Produce Safety proposed rule) until September 16, 2013.

The comment period for the Draft Qualitative Risk Assessment of Risk of Activity/Food Combinations for Activities (Outside the Farm Definition) Conducted in a Facility Co-Located on a Farm is also extended.

To view these notices, please visit the links below:

Federal Register Notice: Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food: Extension of Comment Period

As a reminder, there are two ways to comment:

1. Comment electronically
2. Written comments may be faxed to the FDA at 301-827-6870 or you may mail them to:

Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

eNewsletter, August 2011

Mon, 1 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Conferences and Meetings

International Association for Food Protection

July 31-August 3, 2011
Milwaukee, WI

Linda Harris, Michele Jay-Russell, Xunde Li, Tyann Blessington and Lisa Benjamin attended the IAFP annual meeting. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the organization’s founding in Milwaukee by dairy sanitarians (the original name was International Association of Dairy and Milk Inspectors). The 2011 annual meeting attracted over 2500 individuals from 46 countries, 44 states, and 6 Canadian provinces. A video of food safety professionals (including Linda Harris) offering toasts to the organization has been posted on the IAFP website. Papers authored by WIFSS staff and their students included the following (abstracts available online):

P1-119 Cryptosporidium spp. in Wild Rodent Populations Adjacent to Produce Production Fields--XUNDE LI, Edward Atwill, Tamara Vodovoz, Eduardo Vivas, Chengling Xiao, Christopher Kilonzo, Michele Jay-Russell and Trân Nguyen, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-31 Rdar Morphotype and Its Relationship to Desiccation Tolerance inSalmonella spp. — LUXIN WANG and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-96 Real Raw Milk Facts: An Innovative Evidence-based Food Safety Website—MICHELE T. JAY-RUSSELL, William D. Marler, Katherine Feldman, Michael Payne, Patti Waller and Ronald H. Schmidt, WIFSS, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-114 Long-term Survival of Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on Inoculated Almonds and In-shell Pistachios at Three Storage Temperatures — HARBIR KAUR, Martha Kimber, Michelle D. Danyluk and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-115 Behavior of Inoculated Salmonella spp. in Postharvest Pistachio Handling — VANESSA M. MORALES, Harbir Kaur, Irene Y. Zhao and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-137 Evaluation of Factors That Impact Transfer of Escherichia coli from Gloves to Surfaces — IRENE Y. ZHAO and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

News

In Memory of Robert E. (Bob) Frost

We mourn the loss of Bob Frost who worked part-time for WIFSS since 2008 on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agroterrorism Training Grant and the FDA Rapid Response Team Grant. Frost lost his battle with cancer on August 15. While not at WIFSS, Bob raised llamas on his ranch in Lincoln. He was a board member of the International Llama Association. Frost was a past president of the US Animal Health Association (USAHA) and he was lifetime member of the USAHA Board. Bob was an advocate for protecting humans from zoonotic diseases related to wildlife. He worked to benefit laboratory practices and he assisted in many projects to enhance USDA's animal health laboratories at Plum Island, New York, Ames, Iowa and the Ft. Collins, Colorado wildlife facility. As a part-time employee, Bob always found time to put WIFSS business at the forefront of his activities. He will be missed by the WIFSS team.

Obituaries:
Sacramento Bee

Bob Frost

Wildlife Source of E. coli O157:H7 in Outbreak Associated with Washington
County Strawberries

Michele Jay-Russell was interviewed for this article published in The Oregonian on August 17, 2011.

Outreach

Working to Reduce Microbial Foodborne Illness

The Summer 2011 issue of CA&ES Outlook magazine from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis includes an interview with Dr. Linda Harris (page 7) who since 2001 has worked closely with the almond industry to develop the scientific data needed to evaluate microbial risks in this crop.

Drs. Trevor Suslow and Linda Harris were interviewed for the same issue of in an article “UC Davis delivers the science to improve food safety.” (page 6) Suslow and his team often travel around the state of California to inform growers about the latest research, and when a contamination event is reported they travel on site as quickly as possible to capture data. The data is then used to fill in the gaps in information collected in controlled research trials targeted at reducing the risks to public health. Harris, Suslow, and other UC Davis food safety experts work collaboratively with researchers, industry, and regulators in the wide variety of disciplines that are needed to investigate microbial food safety risks in the food supply chain.

Consumer Food Safety for Summer Gardens

WIFSS and UC Food Safety Websites

Two publications of interest may be picked up at WIFSS, downloaded or ordered in bulk for training purposes. Send requests to Linda Harris for bulk orders and provide a UPS or FedEx account number.

Food Safety Tips for Edible Landscape Plants and Garden Produce

This publication provides a brief outline of the important components of microbial food safety practices for home gardeners and edible landscape practitioners. The diversity and scale of home garden environments, gardening practices, and food handling practices make a single approach to food safety planning in the garden unrealistic. This publication, drawn from research and practical experience, focuses on the key guiding principles of preventing contamination, reducing the survival of pathogens, and preventing cross-contamination at each step.

Spanish
English

Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables (with magnet)

Guidelines for minimizing the risk of foodborne illness from fresh fruits and vegetables through proper handling, washing, and storage. The publication is available as a brochure in both English and Spanish and as a camera-ready version of a refrigerator magnet.

Spanish
English

Coming Event

Your Sustainable Backyard: Olives

September 24, 2011
Davis, CA

Linda Harris will be the lunchtime speaker with a presentation on safe techniques for harvesting and curing your olives. Also included will be a guided olive oil tasting, an olive curing demonstration and more! The event will take place at the beautiful Sensory Theater in the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. Please join us for the workshop, tastings, demonstration and a lunch (included with your registration of $45). Agenda is here.

New Resource from the FDA

Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide

Baruch Fischhoff, PhD, Noel T. Brewer, PhD, & Julie S. Downs, PhD, editors
US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration
Risk Communication Advisory Committee and consultants.

If you are involved in risk communication, here is a resource for you: Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence Based User's Guide. This volume, from FDA's Risk Communication Advisory Committee and consultants, presents pointers on communication design, summaries of scientific foundations, and tips for evaluating communications in range of budgets. Effective risk communication is essential to the well-being of any organization and those people who depend on it. Ineffective communication can cost lives, money, and reputations. Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide provides the scientific foundations for effective communication.

Read the guide.

eNewsletter, August 2012

Wed, 1 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Meetings and Conferences

American Veterinary Medical Association

August 3-7, 2012
San Diego, CA

Michele Jay-Russell presented a talk at the recent AVMA convention entitled “Food Safety at the State Level: Stories from the Front Line.” She discussed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and gave an overview of state responsibilities in foodborne disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and training programs with emphasis on collaborations between state and federal food safety professionals. Examples of recent foodborne disease outbreaks were used to illustrate the state level activities.

California Woolgrowers Association Annual Meeting and Convention

August 3-4, 2012
Davis, CA

Rob Atwill and Bruce Hoar received the California Woolgrowers Association (CWGA) Golden Fleece award August 4th from SVM emeritus professor and outgoing CWGA President, Dr. Nancy East, at the 152nd Annual Meeting of CWGA. This award is in recognition for their work on E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella shedding in commercial sheep and the possible role of airborne dust transmission as a mechanism for produce contamination from nearby grazing flocks. These risks appear to be overstated based on the field data from this work. This award is presented each year to a living and active member of the California Wool Growers Association or a public official who through his or her position has made a lasting contribution to the California sheep industry.

Almond Quality and Food Safety Symposium

August 1, 2012
Visalia, CA

Linda Harris gave a talk entitled “Almond Food Safety Radar – Remaining Diligent on the Food Safety Front” to about 150 attendees at The Almond Board of California’s 14th annual Almond Quality and Food Safety Symposium. Other speakers included Jeff Kornacki (Kornacki Microbiology Solutions), Louise Huebschman (Kellogg), Barbara Cassens (FDA), Patrick Kennelly (CDPH), Mark Sanchez, and Tom Vogel (DFA of California). The agenda is available here.

Outreach

Raw Milk in Mother Jones

Michele Jay-Russell is quoted in a column by Kiera Butler entitled “Got E. coli? Raw Milk May Taste Great but Pasteurization was Invented for a Reason.” The author notes, “…given the evidence, I’d never give it to a child.” The column Econundrums appears in the September/October issue of the magazine. The author interviewed Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures, and Mary McGonigle-Martin (parent of sickened child), Robert Ralyea (Cornell University), and Hannah Gould (CDC epidemiologist) as well as Jay-Russell, for the column.

FDA Produce Farm Investigation Course (Update)

WIFSS hosted two FDA training courses in June and July in Salinas, California. Produce Farm Investigations (ER321) is primarily aimed to train investigators and inspectors on how to conduct investigations at farms and packing facilities that have been implicated in fresh produce related outbreaks and positive pathogen samples.

The investigators are taught how to identify and document how fresh produce can become contaminated by identifying potential sources and routes of contamination. The weeklong course includes two days of site visits to packing facilities, commercial produce, and research farms. A high percentage of investigators who attended are from non-farm backgrounds. The site visits provide hands on experience regarding industry practices and conditions and helps reinforce the lecture material that describes the causes of microbiological contamination. The course concludes with a class exercise.

Approximately 40 investigators, analysts and state inspectors attended each course. These individuals may be called upon to conduct farm investigations as a result of complaints, positive laboratory findings, foodborne illness and/or tracebacks of implicated product back to the farm. In addition, FDA investigators and analysts may also use the skills learned in this course as a prerequisite to assist with foreign/overseas farm inspections and investigations.

Upcoming Courses

Basic and Advanced HACCP

October 22-26, 2012
Davis, CA

Linda Harris is participating again in back to back Basic and Advanced HACCP workshops that will be held at UC Davis. These courses are offered annually at UC Davis and are recognized by the International HACCP Alliance.

For more information and registration, click here.

eNewsletter, December 2011

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

A Holdiay Message from WIFSS and WCFS

We at WIFSS and WCFS wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and prosperity for the new year.

The message below is brought to you by Salmonella (Happy) and E. coli O157:H7 (Holidays).

May your holiday season be foodborne pathogen free!

To assist you, please check out the partnership for food safety education Holiday Food Safety website.

Best wishes,

From all of us at WIFSS and WCFS

Outreach

National Academy of Sciences Beckman Center

January 4, 2012
Irvine, CA

Linda Harris will be the January speaker for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) program “Distinctive Voices” at the Beckman Center. NAS is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the public good. It was created in 1863 to provide independent advice to the government on matters related to science and technology. The National Research Council (NRC) was created under the NAS charter in 1916 to extend the scope of the NAS in its advisory role. The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine were organized under the NAS charter in 1964 and 1970, respectively. Distinctive Voices was created in 2006 as a program of the NAS Communication Initiative to increase science literacy. Tickets to this event may be purchased here.

Past lectures in this series may be viewed on the Distinctive Voices YouTube channel.

Produce Marketing Association

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA), recognizing that its members either have or will soon need to establish food safety programs, has created a Food Safety Resource Center on its website. Michele Jay-Russell wrote two articles on the role of epidemiology in investigation of foodborne illness outbreak investigations (below). PMA’s Dr. Bob Whitaker interviewed Jay-Russell about epidemiology for his blog.

From the PMA website: “Epidemiology is the cornerstone of public health investigation and discovery. Public health practitioners rely on epidemiologic associations to help determine the source of foodborne disease outbreaks and implement control measures. Epidemiologic studies frequently provide new insights into emerging foodborne pathogens and food vehicles. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the principles and practices of epidemiology in the context of foodborne disease outbreaks.

In Part 2 of our piece on epidemiology, a hypothetical epidemiological investigation has been constructed to provide insight into the roles of various public health professionals and their activities during the identification and examination of a food borne illness. This case is typical of many that the produce industry has witnessed over the last several years and describes the protocols that are followed by health care professionals as the local, county, state and federal levels.“

Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI)

Michele Jay-Russell recently was appointed to the Board of Directors of CFI. CFI is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to help find science-based solutions for food challenges. It encourages and facilitates research, raises awareness about the scope and impact of foodborne illnesses, and provides consumers with information they need to make educated choices about food. CFI advocates on behalf of American consumers for stronger food safety policies aimed at improving public health and also encourages and assists individuals who have been significantly impacted by serious foodborne disease.

eNewsletter, December 2012

Sat, 1 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Research

Produce Safety Framework Document is Published

The Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS) was asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to facilitate the development of framework documents that would assist researchers in developing protocols for scientific studies that evaluate the persistence of foodborne pathogens in the environment and on the edible portions of fresh produce following: 1) application of potentially contaminated agricultural water to the edible portion of the crop; or 2) application of potentially contaminated untreated soil amendments of animal origin to land used to grow fresh produce. The Agricultural Water and Soil Amendment framework documents were developed by two committees through a series of webinars, e-mail communication and a workshop that was held in Davis, CA in October 2011.

Additional academic, government and industry food safety experts reviewed the draft documents prior to submission to the Journal of Food Protection (JFP). The Agricultural Water document is in the December 2012 issue of JFP and is available Open Access. The soil amendment document is under final review.

Harris, L.J., J. Bender, E. A. Bihn, T. Blessington, M.D. Danyluk, P. Delaquis, L. Goodridge, A. M. Ibekwe, S. Ilic, K. Kniel, J.T. LeJeune, D.W. Schaffner, D. Stoeckel, and T.V. Suslow. 2012. A framework for developing research protocols for evaluation of microbial hazards and controls during production that pertain to the quality of agricultural water contacting fresh produce that may be consumed raw. J. Food Prot. 75:2251-2273.

Resources to Support the Research Framework Documents at WCFS Website

Links to state and national information on application of agricultural water and animal-based soil amendments that may be useful to researchers using the framework documents can be found at the WCFS website. These include comprehensive bibliographies for agricultural water and soil amendments as well as resources on test methods and information on access to climate data.

Outreach

6th Asian Conference on Food and Nutrition Safety

November 28, 2012
Singapore

Linda Harris presented a talk entitled Interventions for elimination of pathogens in low-moisture foods at the 6th Asian Conference on Food and Nutrition Safety, sponsored by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), Southeast Asia Region. About 350 people representing industry, government and academic researchers attended the conference. More information is available here.

Interrelatedness of Diseases of Animal Origin, the Environment and Human Health

One Health: Veterinarians Role in Emerging and Foodborne Diseases
University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI
September 28th, 2012

Ruminant Teaching Workshop
University of Melbourne
Australia
December 11-13, 2012

There is increasing international interest in the interrelatedness of diseases of animal origin, with the environment and human health. Bennie Osburn made a presentation on “One Health: Veterinarians Role in Emerging and Foodborne Diseases” at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI on September 28th, 2012. Osburn was the invited speaker at the DC Blood Oration at the University of Melbourne, hosted by the Faculty of Veterinary Science, where his presentation was entitled "The Role of Ruminants in the Ecology of Human Disease Pathogens". He later addressed 70 faculty from the seven veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand at the Ruminant Teaching Workshop with a presentation on “Academic Medicines Role in the Changing Landscape of Ruminant Veterinary Practice” at the University of Melbourne. More information is available here.

Publications

Blessington, T., C.G. Theofel, and L.J. Harris. 2013. A dry-inoculation method for nut kernels. Food Microbiol. 33:292-297.

Harris, L.J. 2012. Prevention and control of Salmonella and enterohemorrhagic E. coli in tree nuts (pp 1-4). FAO, Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) Food Safety, Lessons Learned Series No. 2.

A Holiday Message from WIFSS and WCFS

We at WIFSS and WCFS wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season and prosperity for the new year.

The message below is brought to you by Salmonella (Happy) and E. coli O157:H7 (Holidays).

May your holiday season be foodborne pathogen free!

To assist you, please check out the partnership for food safety education Holiday Food Safety website.

Best wishes,

From all of us at WIFSS and WCFS

eNewsletter, February 2011

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

New Research Project Funded

The National Cattlemens’ Beef Association has recently funded Rob Atwill and Xunde Li a $200,000 project entitled “Strategies to reduce super-shedding and the bioburden of E. coli O157:H7 in feedlots”. The objectives of this project are 1) to determine the rate of occurrence and identify host, pathogen, and management risk factors associated for cattle shedding normal levels compared to cattle shedding high levels (super-shedder) of E. coli O157:H7 and 2) to determine if super-shedder cattle are the result of being infected with specific and unique strains of E. coli O157:H7 that cause super-shedder infections, or alternatively, super-shedder infections are only the result of ingesting a high dose compared to a low dose of E. coli O157:H7 regardless of bacterial strain or some other host factor (diet, etc.).

Concerns have been increasing by the beef industry regarding the super-shedding of E. coli O157:H7 and bioburden in feedlot steers which may significantly increase the potential of beef contamination by E. coli O157:H7. Outcomes of the project will help to develop strategies and Good Agricultural Practices to reduce super-shedding and the bioburden of E. coli O157:H7 in feedlots, and thus improve the microbial safety of beef products by reducing contamination.

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Request for Participants in New Central Coast Study

“Co-management of food safety risks and riparian/wetland habitats for Central Coast California Agriculture”

For over four years, our research team at UC Davis and the USDA ARS Western Regional Research Center has been studying sources of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and how these bacteria move within the central California coast agricultural landscape. The Western Center for Food Safety was recently funded by CPS and FDA CFSAN to examine the potential food safety hazards associated with common amphibian and reptile species from riparian/wetland habitats in central coast California. These animals were not tested during the earlier studies, and thus represent a gap in our knowledge about wildlife sources of foodborne pathogens in the central coast.

We Need Your Help

All funding and wildlife collection permits are in place to move forward. All we need is your voluntary permission to allow us to quietly and confidentially collect samples at least twice through the end of the year (December 2011). The study is open to produce growers, ranchers, conservationists, and any other stakeholders interested in co-management in three central coast counties (Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz). We are looking for properties with natural or man-made ponds and riparian/wetland habitat. All information relating to private properties (location, owner, etc.) is kept confidential by using confidential codes that cannot be linked to the laboratory results.

To sign-up for the study or for more information, please contact Michele Jay-Russell at (530) 757-5756 or mjay@ucdavis.edu. More details on the study can be found here.

Left to Right: Yingjia Liu and Kristine L. Fernandez performing a spike trial on a red-eared turtle for Salmonella and E.coli O157:H7 detection.

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California Department of Food and Agriculture

February 18, 2011
Sacramento, CA

At the invitation of Crystal Meyers from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Rob Atwill met with Rayne Pegg, Administrator Agricultural Marketing Service, and her staff to discuss and review ways to strengthen the Specialty Crops Program being administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. This program has grown considerably in recent years and both the state and the USDA want to insure that funds are targeted to high profile, high impact research and marketing projects that support the growth of specialty crops here in our state and across the nation.

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Imperial County UC Cooperative Extension

January 24, 2011
Holtville, CA

Bruce Hoar and Rob Atwill met with various sheep ranchers and Donna Henderson of Imperial Valley UC Cooperative Extension to plan this season's field work for a CPS-funded project on fecal pathogens and airborne transport of these microbial hazards from sheep grazing operations in Imperial Valley. These livestock owners have been excellent collaborators and very supportive of the research to safeguard produce food safety. We also appreciate all the help that Henderson is providing the project. More information may be found here.

Imperial Valley sheep.

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Microbial Challenge Study for Foods Workshop

February 23-24, 2011
Sacramento, CA

Linda Harris and Rutgers colleague Don Schaffner presented a two-day course on developing and evaluating challenge study protocols to regulatory agency staff, including members of the California Food Emergency Response Team (CalFERT). CalFERT is a joint task force for investigating outbreaks of foodborne illness where the food vehicle was produced in California, and is made up of investigators and scientists from California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, and the San Francisco and Los Angeles Districts of the Food and Drug Administration. Also present were representatives of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Orange County Environmental Health. This course was presented prior to the 2010 meeting of the International Association for Food Protection, and will be presented again next month in Chicago. The course is based on the 2009 report of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods.

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Better Process Control School

February 15-18, 2011
Davis, CA

Linda Harris presented three lectures in the UC Davis Cooperative Extension four-day Better Process Control School (BPCS) on microbiology, acidified foods, and sanitation. The BPCS was established primarily for operating supervisors, the individual who is in the plant at the time a canned food product is packed and processed. The school is particularly intended for operating supervisors involved in production of thermally processed low acid and acidified foods. More information is available here. The Better Process Control School is also offered on-line.

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The Society for Range Management

February 9, 2011
Billings, MT

Rob Atwill and Ken Tate received an Outstanding Achievement Award - Research/Academia from The Society for Range Management. This award was given for their 15 years of active scientific collaboration on identifying risk factors and good agricultural practices for waterborne pathogens in agricultural watersheds. It was a bit cold on that day in Billings.

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Dried Fruit and Nut Association Meeting

February 16, 2011
Monterey, CA

Linda Harris attended the annual meeting of DFA where the afternoon program was on food safety.

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American Frozen Food Institute Scientific Advisory Committee

February 21, 2011
San Francisco, CA

Linda Harris is a member of the American Frozen Food Institute Scientific Advisory Committee and attended their annual meeting in San Francisco (and an advisory committee meeting) on February 21.

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Yakima, Washington Seminar

January 26, 2011
Yakima, WA

Rob Atwill gave an evening seminar on irrigation water and produce food safety at the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission and Northwest Horticultural Council, Yakima, Washington, on January 26. The apple industry was kind enough to provide a detailed tour of apple farms and processing facilities the next day for Rob Atwill, Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli from the UC Center for Produce Safety, and additional colleagues, where we had the opportunity to discuss possible collaborations on irrigation water quality research. More information on this CPS-funded project may be found here.

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Townhall Meeting

Sonora, CA

Rob Atwill and Ken Tate, along with staff from the Tuolumne Utility District, Tuolumne Cattlemen's Association, and Scott Oneto at Cooperative Extension Tuolumne County, conducted an evening seminar and town hall meeting for the community of Sonora, CA, regarding an upcoming large waterborne pathogen study in six National Forests this summer. This project is being funded by the US Forest Service in an effort to resolve community concerns regarding the impact of cattle grazing on waterborne pathogens in Sierra Nevada rivers and streams.

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Robert Mondavi Institute

February 8, 2011
Davis, CA

Linda Harris hosted about 30 Master Food Preservers (volunteers from El Dorado and Sacramento counties) on a tour of the RMI complexes as well as giving an overview of her research. Master Food Preservers are trained volunteers who are certified to provide up-to-date information on safe food handling and the prevention of foodborne illness. They conduct monthly public workshops on safely preserving food at home and answer phone inquiries about food safety.

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Chemical Engineering News

Michele Jay-Russell was interviewed for an article appearing in Chemical and Engineering News, February 16, 2011, regarding recently published research on the correlation of commonly used tests for indicators of fecal pollution and the survival of pathogenic strains of E. coli. The article, entitled “Deadly E. Coli Strain May Evade EPA's Test”, discussed research published in Environmental Science and Technology.

________________________________

Jay-Russell Gives Guest Lecture at Stanford School of Medicine

January 28, 2011
Stanford, CA

Scott Smith, MD invited WCFS’ Michele Jay-Russell to lecture in his course, “Parasites and Pestilence,” at Stanford University. She lectured on foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak investigations in the US, and presented highlights from current studies at UC Davis in the epidemiology and ecology of foodborne pathogens. Information on career paths in public health and food safety was also shared with students. Jay-Russell originally met Smith during a leptospirosis investigation in 2003 while working for the California Department of Public Health. The study was published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Jay-Russell speaking to students at Stanford University.

eNewsletter, February 2012

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Meetings

2012 Human Pathogens on Plants Workshop: Multidisciplinary Strategy for Research

February 13-15, 2012
Hyattsville, MD

Michele Jay-Russell participated in this conference, sponsored by The American Phytopathological Society. It was intended to bring together members of the food science and plant pathology communities to share and highlight ongoing research, develop collaborations, and plan a national research agenda for the future to address complex questions related to the contamination of plants with human pathogens. Speakers included representatives from academia (Trevor Suslow, UC Davis, and others), government (CDC, FDA, USDA-ARS), and industry associations (PMA).

Outreach

Tomato Processing School

January 30, 2012
Sacramento, CA

Linda Harris participated as an instructor in the Tomato Processing Technology Workshop held every other year in conjunction with the California League of Food Processors Expo and Showcase. This workshop is designed for current employees of tomato processing companies who wish to expand their knowledge of the entire operation of the business.

Better Process Control School

February 21-24 2012
Davis, CA

In the News

Food Safety News

February 22, 2012

Michele Jay-Russell is quoted in an article entitled CDC: Raw Milk Much More Likely to Cause Illness by James Andrews. The article cites data from a just published article in Emerging Infectious Disease which reviews data on nonpasteurized dairy product-related illnesses between 1993 and 2006. The CDC article is an update of a similar study published by FDA-CFSAN in 1998, on raw milk-related outbreaks from 1973-1992. Andrews quotes Jay-Russell: “It's really helpful to have these numbers updated as interest in raw milk increases through activist groups. I wouldn't say the statistics are surprising, but it's helpful to know that, unfortunately, things have not really changed since the last report." The Food Safety News article may be found here. For more information visit the Real Raw Milk Facts website.

Dr. Michele Jay-Russell

Publications

Lambertini, E., M.D. Danyluk, D.W. Schaffner, C.K. Winter, and L.J. Harris. 2012. Risk of salmonellosis from consumption of almonds in the North American market. Food Res. Int. 45:1166–1174.

Harris, L.J., A.R. Uesugi, S.J. Abd, and K.L. McCarthy. 2012. Survival of Salmonella Enteritidis PT30 on inoculated almond kernels in hot water treatments. Food Res. Int. 45:1093-1098.

Blessington, T., E.J. Mitcham, and L.J. Harris. 2012. Survival of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coliO157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on inoculated walnut kernels during storage. J. Food Prot. 75:245-254.

Coming Events

IAFP "Microbial Challenge Testing for Foods" Workshop

May 1-2, 2012
Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois

This workshop first was offered in August 2010 at the IAFP annual meeting as a preconference event and repeated in April 2011. In response to member interest, it will be presented again this year. Presenters include Linda Harris, Don Schaffner, and Kathy Glass. Because of the many questions raised by regulatory and industry professionals about the appropriate use of challenge studies, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was asked to provide guidance on the topic of challenge studies and their use. This workshop will present the NACMCF report and instructors will guide the students though use of the material in the report to develop actual challenge study protocols based on NACMCF recommendations. Registration is now open and will be limited to the first 35 attendees. Go here for more information.

eNewsletter, February 2013

Fri, 1 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Research

WCFS partners with Center for Produce Safety in Their Annual Call for Research Proposals

February 1, 2013
Davis, CA

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) has announced its 2013 request for food safety research proposals. The center and its public and industry research partners are making $3 million available to fund general and commodity-specific research aimed at addressing the fresh produce food safety research needs. For the first time, WCFS has partnered with CPS to fund fresh produce safety research. WCFS is requesting research proposals regarding pre-harvest microbial hazards and the risks posed by agricultural water use.

Of specific interest are proposals that will provide data regarding the following:

a) What factors most influence the persistence of human pathogens (foodborne pathogens) on fresh produce, when contaminated agricultural water contacts the edible portion of the crop during the growing cycle? Specifically, does an agro-ecological production region and specific crops grown within an agro-ecological production region influence the probability of microbial contamination of fresh produce with human pathogens (adulteration) at harvest, when produce contamination occurs via use of contaminated agricultural water during the growing cycle?

b) What preventative controls can be applied to agricultural water and how effective are these preventive controls at reducing, controlling or eliminating microbial hazards that may lead to adulteration of produce at the time of harvest?

The findings from these studies are expected to offer the farming community an opportunity to evaluate alternate approaches per the proposed produce safety rule agricultural water provision.

Proposals are due by March 28, 2013. To view the full RFP, visit the CPS website.

Specific instructions for the WCFS request for proposals can be found here.

Meetings and Conferences

UC Davis Center for Food Animal Health Stakeholders Meeting

January 31, 2013
Davis, CA

Michael Payne and Michele Jay-Russell attended the annual UC Davis Center for Food Animal Health (CFAH) Stakeholders Meeting where Jay-Russell gave an overview presentation of food safety activities at WIFSS/WCFS. The CFAH is an organized research program of the School of Veterinary Medicine. Its purpose is to organize resources for and conduct research on animal diseases important to livestock industries, important food borne and vector borne disease problems, zoonosis associated with diseases of livestock and environmental health important to the State of California.

Outreach

California League of Food Processors Food Processing School

February 4, 2013
Sacramento, CA

The California League of Food Processors in cooperation with UC Davis and the California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch, offered a one-day session focusing on the basic science of food processing and food safety. The course, designed for employees of food processing companies, was attended by approximately 100 people. Linda Harris gave the presentation on food microbiology. The agenda and further details may be found here.

Better Process Control School

February 12-13, 2013
UC Davis

Linda Harris participated as an instructor in this UC Extension Course. The Better Process Control School is designed for operating supervisors of commercial food canning operations. UC Davis partners with Grocery Manufacturers Association and UC Laboratory for Research in Food Preservation to offer this course. An agenda and further description are available here.

An online course (with taped presentations of the in-person course) is also available.

Texas A&M One Health Team

February 14-15, 2013
UC Davis

The directors and a team member from the WIFSS Outreach Program had the opportunity to meet with program directors from Texas A&M University’s One Health Plus program during their visit to Davis this month. Here from Texas, looking at future directions of One Health Plus, including expansion in the fields of food safety and comparative medicine, were Dr. Michael Chaddock, Assistant Dean for One Health Plus and Strategic Initiatives, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Merrideth Holub, Program Coordinator; and Dr. Suzanne Yandow, Professor and Orthopedic Surgeon, College of Medicine.

Bennie Osburn, Rob Atwill, and Heather Johnson from the WIFSS Outreach Program were involved in giving an overview of some of the innovative work being conducted in the arena of training and education of food safety and security. Also on board from UC Davis, participating in the meetings were Kent Lloyd, Jonna Mazet, Woutrina Miller, Christine Johnson, and Paulina Zielinska.

Chaddock, Holub and Yandow were impressed with the breadth and depth of Davis’s programs and departed the informative meeting sessions with much to think about asOne Health Plus works toward their mission of establishing collaboration among Texas A&M colleagues, faculty, staff, and students, in research, teaching, and outreach opportunities surrounding veterinary and medical professions for humans, animals, and the environment to improve public health.

Walnut Food Safety Workshop

February 14, 2013
Silverado Resort and Spa
Napa, CA

The California Walnut Board offered this one-day food safety workshop for handlers. Linda Harris presented a talk, entitled “Walnut Food Safety Research Review – Learning to Prevent Pathogen Contamination”, to about 120 people. Other speakers were Jeff Kornacki (Kornacki Microbiology Solutions, Inc.) "Pathogen Ecology and Control in Dry Food Processing Plants", Dan Barber (Fleishman-Hillard) on crisis communication; Janet McDonald, (FDA/San Francisco District Office) "Proposed Rules under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" and Abhi Kulkarni (California Walnut Board) on GFSI Certification Schemes.

The Uncommon Veterinarian Podcast: Public Health and Food Safety

Veterinarian and Army officer Elliott Garber provides fellow animal lovers, students, and veterinarians with the tools they need to pursue their dreams in the wide world of veterinary medicine. He launched a new series of podcasts on the Uncommon Veterinarian website. Michele Jay-Russell discussed careers in veterinary public health and food safety in this month’s podcast, which can be found on the website and on iTunes.

Dr. Michele Jay-Russell

Publications

Vandamm, J. P., D. Li, L. J. Harris, D. W. Schaffner, and M.D. Danyluk. May 2013. Fate ofEscherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella on fresh-cut celery. Food Microbiol. 34(1):151-157.

Schaffner, D.W., R. L. Buchanan, S. Calhoun, M.D. Danyluk, L.J. Harris, D. Djordjevic, R. C. Whiting, B. Kottapalli, and M. Wiedmann. 2013. Issues to consider when setting intervention targets with limited data for low-moisture food commodities: A peanut case study. J. Food Prot. 76(2):360-369.

Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production, Harvest, Post-Harvest, and Processing Unit Operations of Fresh Culinary Herbs published by Western Growers and posted on the FDA website.

eNewsletter, January 2011

Sat, 1 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

2010 Top 10 Accomplishments

Celebration of the WCFS’ third anniversary as an FDA CFSAN academic Center of Excellence and website launch
Multiple ongoing and new research awards and collaborations with the Center for Produce Safety
Numerous professional presentations, workshops and trainings for industry, food safety colleagues, and international delegations
WIFSS successfully re-certified the six course curriculum WIFSS Agroterrorism Preparedness Curriculum for Frontline Responders
Completion of nine state FDA All-Hazard Food-Feed Rapid Response Team (RRT) assessments
Leadership in multidisciplinary research and outreach to address co-management of food safety, wildlife and the environment
Extensive outreach and training in the care and welfare of dairy animal
Providing CNN and other media scientific expertise following the massive egg recall due toSalmonella Enteritidis
Professional recognition including receipt of the 2010 IAFP Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award (Linda Harris)
Publications in Journal of Food Protection, Journal of Food Science, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Journal of Environmental Quality, American Journal of Veterinary Research, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and the 2010 Proceedings of the American Society for Microbiology

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WIFSS Joins FDA, CDC and CDFA in Providing Raw Milk Safety Analysis

Humboldt County is one of only three California counties which prohibit the sale of raw (unpasteurized) milk for human consumption. Last summer the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors was petitioned by consumers and health food store owners to revoke its sales ban. County public health staff sought analysis of the submitted raw milk health and safety claims from the federal Food and Drug Administration, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security. UC educators and investigators are frequently asked by regulatory agencies and legislators to provide background and context on complex scientific issues, with the understanding that such opinions do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the University. In January the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 0 to maintain the current ban, with the caveat that the issue could be reopened as new information became available.

Available on the internet:

For more information contact Michael Payne.

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Microbial Challenge Testing for Foods Workshop

April 7-8, 2011
Rosemont, IL

This workshop was offered in August 2010 at the IAFP annual meeting as a preconference event, and will be repeated for the food industry in response to member interest. Presenters include Linda Harris, Don Schaffner, and Kathy Glass. Because of the many questions raised by regulatory and industry professionals about the appropriate use of challenge studies, the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was asked to provide guidance on the topic of challenge studies and their use. This workshop will present the NACMCF report and instructors will guide the students though use of the material in the report to develop actual challenge study protocols based on NACMCF recommendations. Registration will be open by February 1, 2011, and will be limited to the first 35 attendees. The NACMCF report may be found here.

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Advanced Topics in Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce Workshops

March 1-3, 2011, Davis, CA
April 27-29, 2011, Wimauma, FL

This course is presented under the sponsorship of the USDA Specialty Crops Project Increasing Consumption of Specialty Crops by Enhancing their Quality & Safety. Topics include an introduction to Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, science basis for GAP and GHP standards and metrics, and consideration and conflicts in pathogen testing. Instructors include Trevor Suslow and Linda Harris from UC Davis and Michelle Danyluk and Keith Schneider from the University of Florida. More information about the course and registration information may be found here.

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eNewsletter, January 2012

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Meetings

California Rangeland Conservation Coalition Summit

January 19-20, 2012
Davis, CA

Dr. Rob Atwill gave a 15-year overview of good agricultural practices developed at UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension that ranchers and resource managers can use to minimize microbial contamination of water on grazed rangelands at the 7th Annual Summit of the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition January 19th. Over 300 attendees were present, including ranchers, regulators, resource managers, environmental consultants, and the lay public.

Research

WIFSS collaborates with Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Dr. Shouyi Chen, Director of the Department of Parasitic and Endemic Disease, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China, has been at WIFSS since last fall. Supported by Guangzhou City Medical and Health Key Discipline and Special Talent Program, Dr. Chen will stay at WIFSS for one year as a visiting scholar. He is interested in detecting and fingerprinting of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These two organisms are major foodborne and waterborne parasites cause zoonotic diseases worldwide.

Dr. Chen works together with Xunde Li and Rob Atwill to investigate the risk factors of foodborne Cryptosporidiumand Giardia for children (1-10 years old) in Guangzhou as a part of a one-year parasite survey program in Guangzhou City. Cryptosporidium and Giardia will be detected by fluorescent microscopy and identified by PCR and DNA sequencing. A questionnaire focus on food safety was developed to determine the sources and risk factors regarding Cryptosporidium and Giardia infection in children.

Dr. Shouyi Chen

Outreach

National Academy of Sciences Beckman Center

January 4, 2012

Irvine, CA

Linda Harris was the January speaker for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) program “Distinctive Voices” at the Beckman Center. Her talk, entitled Safe to Eat? may be viewed here.

Dr. Linda Harris at the Beckman Center

KVIE UC Davis News Watch Video Featuring WIFSS

January 2012

Scientists at WIFSS use DNA to identify the source of pathogens and to track and control foodborne outbreaks. This video, entitled Tracking Foodborne Pathogens, shows several WIFSS staff at work, including Rob Atwill, Michele Jay-Russell, Bruce Hoar, Yingjia Liu, Eduardo Vivas, and Kristine Fernandez.

The video was produced by Ken Zukins Productions, reported by Kristine Simoes, and originally broadcast on KVIE (PBS).

Video: Tracking Food-borne Pathogens

Coming Events

IAFP "Microbial Challenge Testing for Foods" Workshop

May 1-2, 2012
Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois

eNewsletter, January 2013

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Announcement

FDA published two long-anticipated proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

January 4, 2013

"Proposed Rule under FSMA for Preventive Controls for Human Food: Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food"

"Proposed Rule under FSMA for Produce: Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption"

There is a 120 day comment period. Comments may be submitted until May 16, 2013.

Outreach

Produce Farm Investigations Course

January 14-18, 2013
Homestead, FL

WIFSS, in conjunction with the FDA, held the first 2013 ER 321 “Produce Farm Investigations” course in Homestead, Florida, in January. The course focused on outbreak investigations in tropical fruits, tomatoes, herbs and spices. The methods taught in ER 321 are the principal means by which investigators conduct traceback investigations. There were 31 future investigators attending the course from states across the U.S., of which about half were FDA employees. Rob Atwill gave a presentation on the role water plays in contamination. Xunde Li discussed the role of microbial agents, such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 that may come in contact with produce. David Goldenberg facilitated a two-day farm visit in which students toured working farms and conducted mock investigations. Ronny Bond was responsible for videotaping the crops that were being investigated. It was considered by all a highly successful course. ER 321 is scheduled to be taught again in 2013 in Florida, Michigan and California to highlight different commodities in other regions of the country. The next course is offered March 4-8 in Balm, FL.

Instructor Development Workshop:
International Food Protection Training Institute

January 8-11, 2013
Battle Creek, MI

The WIFSS Education and eLearning Specialist, Heather Johnson, recently participated in the Instructor Development Workshop (IDW), a course developed by the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training, Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education (NCBTR/ACE). The course was presented by the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) in Battle Creek, Michigan. The Instructor Development Workshop is designed to give insight into adult education and improve the instructional skills of experienced training facilitators and teachers. Fellow participants included state and federal health department investigators from across the country. The course was taught by three expert-level instructors from Louisiana State University, the Baton Rouge Police Department and the New York Fire Department. The methods and best-practices that were learned will continue to be incorporated into future training events that are currently being designed and presented by the WIFSS Outreach Training team.

In addition to participating in the IDW course, Ms. Johnson had the opportunity to network with IFPTI’s Executive Director, Mr. Jerry Wojtala. IFPTI is an ANSI certified training institution, and the WIFSS Outreach Program plans to begin the same certification process soon. Mr. Wojtala was able to explain the certification process, offer valuable insights and invited the WIFSS Outreach Team to return to Battle Creek later this year to consult with him after the certification process is underway at WIFSS.

Keeping Produce Safe on the Farm

January 28-29, 2013
Sparks, NV

Michele Jay-Russell participated in a professional development course organized by Trevor Suslow and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Nevada Department of Agriculture. The focus was on small and medium-size operations, including direct sales, community sponsored agriculture (CSAs), and farmers’ markets. The audience included staff from the sponsoring organizations, together with some small growers. In addition to Jay-Russell and Suslow, speakers included Laura Mills (LGM Consulting), Greg McNair (USDA-AMS) and Adrian Sbodio (Suslow lab). The agenda for the course may be found here. An additional online resource to build a food safety plan was shared with the group.

(L to R) Laura Giudici Mills, Michele Jay-Russell, Greg McNair, Trevor Suslow, Adrian Sbodio

Research

Campylobacter research featured in Food Safety News

An article by Gretchen Goetz explaining the recent paper in Journal of Clinical Microbiology by Michele Jay-Russell and colleagues at the California Department of Public Health, USDA ARS Western Regional Research Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was published January 18, 2013, by Food Safety News. The genetic diversity of Campylobacter in a farm environment makes it difficult to match an outbreak strain with environmental isolates. The research team showed that by targeting and analyzing a specific gene in Campylobacter, a public health lab could screen for the isolates most likely to match the outbreak strain by PFGE analysis. The Food Safety News article may be found here.

Publications

Michele T. Jay-Russell, Robert E. Mandrell, Jean Yuan, Anna Bates, Rosa Manala, Janet Mohle-Boetani, Akiko Kimura, Janice Lidgard and William G. Miller. 2013. Using Major Outer Membrane Protein Typing as an Epidemiological Tool To Investigate Outbreaks Caused by Milk-Borne Campylobacter jejuni Isolates in California. J. Clin. Microbiol. 51(1): 195-201

eNewsletter, July 2011

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Conferences and Meetings

Almond Board of California

July 13, 2011
Lodi, CA

The Almond Board held its 13th Annual Food Quality and Safety Symposium in the Wine and Roses Hotel in Lodi, attended by approximately 200 people. Linda Harris presented a talk entitled “Ten years of studying Salmonella in almonds—what we have learned”. A recognition plaque presented to her was inscribed “Dr. Linda Harris aka ‘The Almond Queen’, In appreciation for your outstanding service to the California almond industry July 2011.”

The Almond Queen
Linda Harris

American Veterinary Medical Association

July 16-19, 2011
St Louis, MO

Michele Jay-Russell attended the AVMA Convention 2011. This year marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of veterinary medicine. Food safety topics included impacts of antimicrobial resistance, pet food safety, and emerging foodborne pathogens. Key veterinary public health organizations met including the American Association of Public Health Veterinarians (AAPHV), the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV), and the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM).

View the preview book here.

Outreach

Manure Management

A new resource on manure management compiled by Michael Payne has been posted on the website of the Western Center for Food Safety. Selected recommendations include the following:

Animal manure can contain bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7, as well as parasites like roundworms and tapeworms.
Persons most likely to be seriously harmed by manure pathogens include pregnant women, the elderly, infants and children and the immune-compromised.
Animal manure can be used as an effective fertilizer and soil amendment but it should not be allowed to contaminate foods which are consumed uncooked, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Store manure away from areas where fresh produce is grown and handled. Use distance or physical barriers to prevent runoff or wind drift of manure. Prevent cross-contamination by tools or farm equipment.
When growing fresh fruits and vegetables, adequately composting animal manure is the most effective practice.
In addition to composting animal manures other manure management practices can be used including field-applying manure shortly after harvesting and incorporating the manure into the soil as soon as possible.

See more manure management resources here.

News

The Packer published an opinion piece on July 28, 2011, citing a presentation by Michele Jay-Russell at the Center for Produce Safety produce research symposium held last month in Orlando, FL. Jay-Russell is investigating potential reservoirs of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella in produce production areas of Arizona and Mexico in collaboration with leafy greens industry partners.

Posters from the symposium are also available online here.

Upcoming Events

HACCP Workshops

October 24-28, 2011
Davis, CA

Basic HACCP: A Food Safety Program and Advanced HACCP: Verification, Implementation, and Other Challenges will be presented by UC Davis Extension. Both programs are accredited by the International HACCP Alliance. Instructors include Linda Harris, Nina Parkinson, and Michael Jantschke. These workshops were developed to better prepare members of the food industry and associated businesses to understand food safety for their own products and for ingredients they may purchase.

eNewsletter, July 2012

Sun, 1 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Meetings and Conferences

National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

June 28-30, 2012
San Diego, CA

In a session on Emerging Environmental Health Issues, Michele Jay-Russell presented a talk on “What Is the Matter with Raw Milk”, an overview of the history of the raw milk debate, current and newly introduced legislation. She was followed by Pat Kennelly, Chief of the Food Safety Section, Food and Drug Branch, California Department of Public Health, discussing recent raw milk outbreak investigations, and Mary McGonigle-Martin, mother and food safety activist who spoke about her son’s near death illness from E. coli O157:H7 following consumption of contaminated raw milk. The session was presented to a standing room only audience. The agenda may be found here.

International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)

July 22-25, 2012
Providence, RI

This year’s IAFP annual meeting drew a record attendance of over 2500 food safety professionals. Linda Harris' Western Center for Food Safety ORISE fellow Tyann Blessington and students Irene Zhao and John Frelka presented the following research posters:

P2-31 Evaluation of Factors that Influence the Cross-contamination of Escherichia coli between Gloves and Lettuce during Harvesting Irene Zhao, University of California-Davis; Linda Harris, University of California-Davis

P2-51 The Impact of Shell Damage and Paracetic Acid on Microbial Loads of Harvested and Hulled Walnuts John Frelka, Tyann Blessington, Linda Harris, University of California-Davis [link to session P2 here]

P3-37 Survival of Foodborne Pathogens on Cilantro Plants after Transfer via Wet- and Dry-Inoculation Methods Tyann Blessington, Anne-laure Moyne, Linda Harris, University of California-Davis

P3-47 Impact of Inoculation Time (Evening or Morning) on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Survival on Pre-harvest Cilantro Tyann Blessington, Anne-laure Moyne, Linda Harris, University of California-Davis [link to session P3 here]

Harris also moderated a round-table session entitled Where Do We Go from Here: Discussion of Evidence-based Approaches to Education around Fresh Produce Safety. Panelists included Diane Ducharme, Elizabeth Bihn, Keith Schneider, James Gorny, Michael Villaneva and David Gombas. Link to session abstract here.

WIFSS’ visiting scholar Dr. Shouyi Chen presented a poster on rapid detection of Brucella spp. Dr. Chen is from Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention of China and is working with Rob Atwill and Xunde Li on international collaborative programs to identify routes of foodborne pathogens infection in children in Guangzhou.

P3-157 Rapid Detection of Brucella by Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification. Shouyi Chen, Liuyan Song, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Xunde Li, University of California-Davis; Shuiping Hou, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and Edward Atwill, University of California-Davis. [Link to P3 session here]

CPS Research Symposium

June 28, 2012
Davis, CA

Michele Jay-Russell’s research project on reptiles and amphibians as potential reservoirs for foodborne pathogens, presented at the CPS Research Symposium, was cited in a recent article in The Packer entitled Research Looks at Wildlife’s Role in Foodborne Illness. Jay-Russell’s poster entitled Investigation of potential reservoirs of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella in produce production areas of Arizona and Mexico may be found here.

Linda Harris presented two posters at the Symposium: Distribution of Salmonella in pistachios and development of effective sampling strategies and Influence of the pre-harvest environment on the physiological state of Salmonella and its impact on increased survival capability.

Rob Atwill presented findings from his project entitled, "Epidemiologic analysis and risk management practices for reducing E. coli in irrigation source water supplies and distribution systems." Based on industry-provided data of over 60,000 water samples, the project identified various risk factors and management practices associated with E. coli in irrigation water and their delivery systems.

All of the posters presented at the symposium are available here.

Research

The WCFS research studies associated with protecting leafy greens and other produce from microbial contamination promote development and implementation of standardized, science- and risk-based approaches to good agricultural practices and outbreak investigations. Researchers have been in Salinas this month collecting samples/data for these ongoing projects.

Fate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in field-inoculated lettuce and cilantro (Western Center for Food Safety, PI Linda Harris) One of these leveraged research projects focused on understanding factors that impact the fate of E. coli O157:H7 in field-inoculated leafy greens and herbs. Using an environmentally-controlled growth chamber we evaluated the influence of inoculation method (wet and dry, influence of carrier) and humidity levels on the post-inoculation survival of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on lettuce and cilantro plants. Survival in wet or dry inoculum carriers on inoculated cilantro was similar under both laboratory and field conditions; survival of Salmonella was significantly better than for E. coli O157:H7. Increasing the interval from the time of contamination to the point of harvest of both lettuce and cilantro significantly decreases the likelihood that the E. coli O157:H7 would be in the harvested product.

Enhancing QPRAM for improved produce food safety (Western Center for Food Safety, PI Rob Atwill) In another field trial-based project, WCFS researchers utilized the quantitative predictive risk assessment model (QPRAM) designed by the CFSAN Risk Assessment Team and their collaborators at RTI International to predict and characterize exposure and corresponding risks from consumption of fresh produce. A field trial was conducted in 2011 in California's Salinas Valley produce growing region in order to generate real-world field-based data regarding E. coli O157:H7 contamination of Romaine lettuce prior to harvest due to fecal pathogen transfer during foliar irrigation. The findings suggest that a 5-day interval between final irrigation and harvest would generate an average 3 to 4-log 10 reduction per head of lettuce, which if combined with removal of the outer lower leaves from the head during harvest and reasonable due diligence to remove scat prior to final irrigation, would substantially reduce the risk of microbial contamination for Romaine lettuce. Additional QPRAM field trials are planned in 2012.

Effectiveness of Food Safety Metrics to Protect Leafy Greens from Zoonotic Enteric Pathogens (USDA NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative, PI Jay-Russell) The Western Center for Food Safety is collaborating with the University of Maryland’s Center for Food Safety and Security Systems (CFS3) and five other universities in a three-year study aimed to develop scientifically-based food safety metrics for leafy greens and tomatoes. The overall goal of the research is to provide scientific knowledge/data and analysis that will allow for the development of “good agricultural/horticultural” metrics that can be used by the produce industry on a national basis for both domestic and imported produce. Experimental field trials are being used to quantitatively link root causes with the likelihood and extent of contamination. No-harvest buffer zones as described in the LGMA are being evaluated this summer using inoculated animal fecal material to track the survival and spread of indicator E. coli in a Romaine lettuce field in Salinas.

Cilantro

Ronny and Missy Flagging

Melinda, Jennifer and Fhon

Outreach

Michele Jay-Russell and Michelle Danyluk (University of Florida and former member of Harris lab) are quoted in this article in The Grower entitled How far should you go to exclude animals from your fields? Danyluk stressed the need for scientific data on which to base effective management decisions to prevent contamination.

US FDA Produce Farm Investigation Course

July 16-20, 2012
Monterey, CA

Bennie Osburn, Rob Atwill, David Goldenberg, Xunde Li, Missy Partyka, Elisabetta Lambertini, Ronny Bond, and Nicole Pierce attended FDA Produce Farm Investigation Course (ER321). Rob Atwill presented the module of Water-sources, and Xunde Li presented the module of Microbiology.

The course is presented around the country for FDA and state investigators who will conduct farm investigations in response to outbreaks or positive pathogen test results from produce. The course provides information on practices and conditions that may lead to microbiological contamination of fresh produce. The course includes presentations, site visits, interviews, hands-on exercises and group discussions. WIFSS and the Western Center for Food Safety will continue to work with FDA to improve the modules and the courses.

eNewsletter, June 2011

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Conferences and Meetings

Institute of Food Technologists

June 11-14, 2011
New Orleans, Louisiana

Linda Harris attended the Annual Meeting of IFT. Linda’s student Martha Kimber presented a poster entitled "Changes in total aerobic and coliform counts on pistachios during postharvest processing". Follow the link to view the abstract. Linda also was a co-author on a poster presented by Rutgers University student Di Li entitled "Development of a mathematical model to describe the growth of Salmonella spp. on fresh-cut cantaloupe at different storage temperatures".

2011 CPS Produce Research Symposium

June 28, 2011
Orlando, Florida

Rob Atwill, Linda Harris, and Michele Jay-Russell presented findings from research projects supported by the Center for Produce Safety in a program organized into five sessions. In the first four sessions, presentations focused on one topic area and were followed by a moderator-led panel discussion. Panelists included representatives from the produce industry, produce trade associations, and regulatory agencies. The final session featured a panel discussion on topics such as future opportunities, the role of public/private partnerships, and how to employ research findings in the produce industry. Presentations by WIFSS and Western Center for Food Safety researchers included the following:

• Impact of almond moisture, almond cultivar and Salmonella serovar on the desiccation, persistence and heat resistance of Salmonella in almonds. Linda Harris, University of California, Davis.

• Epidemiologic analysis and risk management practices for reducing E. coli in irrigation source water supplies and distribution systems. Rob Atwill, University of California, Davis.

• Assessing postharvest risks for Salmonella in pistachios. Linda Harris, University of California, Davis.

• Investigation of potential reservoirs of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella in produce production areas of Arizona and Mexico (Rapid Response). Michele Jay-Russell, University of California, Davis.

• Evaluation of amphibians and reptiles as potential reservoirs of foodborne pathogens and risk reduction to protect fresh produce and the environment. Michele Jay-Russell, University of California, Davis.

GAPs Training and Educational Materials Conference

June 29-30, 2011
Orlando, Florida

Michele Jay-Russell represented WCFS at the "Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Training and Educational Materials Conference" hosted by the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA). The primary purpose of this meeting was to identify effective training and educational materials that can support the PSA mission of developing a nationwide GAPs training curriculum and educational outreach program. Specific focus areas for the PSA included GAPs and comanagement education and outreach efforts for fresh produce farmers and packers with special emphasis on small scale operations. In addition to the review of GAPs training and educational materials, an update of the PSA’s progress to date was provided on the second day of the conference.

Raymond Yoder describes a produce good agricultural practices (GAP) training program customized for Amish and Mennonite farmers.

eNewsletter, June 2012

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Meetings and Conferences

Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium

June 27, 2012
Davis, CA

The Center for Produce Safety will hold its annual Produce Research Symposium this week. Session topics that center around Good Agricultural Practices include Buffer Zones and Animal Vectors, Irrigation Water Quality, and Inputs, Cultivation and Harvest. Wash Water and Process Control is the final session for the day. Each session is followed by a panel discussion. Presenters and panelists represent diverse perspectives, including academic researchers, government scientists, and industry representatives. Among the presentations are the following:

• Developing buffer zone distances between sheep grazing operations and vegetable crops to maximize food safety. Bruce Hoar, University of California, Davis

• Evaluation of amphibians and reptiles as potential reservoirs of foodborne pathogens and risk reduction to protect fresh produce and the environment. Michele Jay-Russell, University of California, Davis

• Epidemiologic analysis and risk management practices for reducing E. coli in irrigation source water supplies and distribution systems. Rob Atwill, University of California, Davis

• Assessing postharvest risks for Salmonella in pistachios. Linda Harris, University of California, Davis

The complete agenda is available here.

WIFSS Advisory Board

June 14, 2012
Davis, CA

Ten members of the Advisory Board met at WIFSS. Included in the agenda was a recap of current and pending WIFSS/WCFS research and outreach projects and reports from Board members representing CDPH, CAHFS, CDFA, and FDA on activities of interest to WIFSS and WCFS. Two board members have tendered their resignations due to conflicting professional obligations. The WIFSS Board thanked Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli and Dr. Mark Schenker for their valued service. The search has been initiated for replacement Board members.

Outreach

Raw Milk Safety

The AVMA’s “Chew on This” did a podcast interview with Michele Jay-Russell. They discussed why more people are buying raw milk, and the potential food safety hazards. Read more and listen to the podcast at the Keep Our Food Safe blog.

US FDA Produce Farm Investigation Course

June 18-22, 2012
Monterey, CA

Bennie Osburn, Rob Atwill, Xunde Li, David Goldenberg, Missy Partyka, Elisabetta Lambertini, and Ronny Bond attended this course, which is presented around the country for FDA and state investigators who will conduct farm investigations in response to outbreaks or positive pathogen test results from produce. This course provides information on practices and conditions that may lead to microbiological contamination of fresh produce. The course includes presentations, site visits, interviews, hands-on exercises and group discussions.