U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Imported and Domestic Produce Surveys

摘要

Although the incidence of foodbome illnesses linked to fresh produce is low, over the last several years the proportion of foodbome illnesses associated with domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables has increased. This may be due, in part, to increased ability to detect foodbome illness outbreaks and to an increase in the consumption of fresh produce. To assist in the development of policy relating to produce safety, FDA has conducted a number of surveys since 1999 to gather data on the incidence and extent of pathogen contamination of selected produce, both imported and domestically produced. Produce items were selected based on criteria such as involvement in past foodbome illness outbreaks, structural characteristics, growing and processing conditions, and how they are consumed. The surveys focused on high-volume fresh produce including broccoli, cantaloupe, celery, cilantro, green onions, loose-leaf lettuce, parsley, strawberries, and tomatoes. Imported produce samples were collected at ports of entry, while domestic produce was collected at packing houses. Samples were analyzed for Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli 0157:H7.