Mixed messages

Danny Dempster of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association has drawn some flak for his column about produce safety. Some academic critics have called him to task for painting too rosy a picture on produce safety. This Barfblog post is an example of the criticism:
From Ben Chapman:

While Dempster plays down the FBI statistics, he forgets to mention one that I like to use -- the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affair (OMAFRA) Food Safety Science Unit (FSSU) estimates that 41 per cent of foodborne illness in Ontario can be attributed to produce. This exceeds every other food group including meat, fish, dairy and eggs. So is produce the safest thing you can eat in other parts of Canada, just not Ontario?, as

Bob Brackett of the FDA addressed the issue of what was happening with produce related foodborne illnesses in December 2005 when I visited the FDA offices. Remember this is before the spinach related foodborne illness. From the archive:

A new focus: In the past, Brackett said, produce has been considered one of the least risky of all foods, with less than 1% of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to fruit and vegetables.
Now that percentage is from 12% to 15%, and Brackett said produce is associated with foodborne illness outbreaks nearly as much as any food the FDA regulates -- at about the same level of seafood.
"This is something that has happened in the last decade," he said, adding that there is only speculation why fresh produce is linked to greater numbers of outbreaks. For one thing, people may be eating more produce and have more exposure. A second possibility, Brackett said, is that more produce being consumed comes from large distribution centers throughout the country. Any mistake in handling from those facilities can be spread more easily, he said.
Another potential reason might be that regulators are paying more attention to produce in their surveillance of foodborne illness outbreaks than they have before.
"Whereas in the past, there was an assumption that (an outbreak) couldn't have come from produce, they are now looking at (the link) harder and finding it," he said.
Brackett notes high profile outbreaks of foodborne illness in recent years have been tied to honeydew melons, cantaloupe, sprouts, green onions and lettuce.
"The ones that are really alarming to me involve E. coli O157:H7 because it is so virulent it can be life threatening," he said.
Brackett said there is a sense of urgency at the FDA to handle food safety problems, particularly for commodities that have been associated with the outbreaks.
"Those are the ones we want to see very specific guidance, to really look at and get much more detailed," he said.
Lettuce has attracted attention, and Brackett said the value-added component of the industry merits further study.
While the development of new value-added fresh-cut products may have focused on shelf life, texture and taste, Brackett wonders if enough research has been devoted to food safety.
"There has not been as much research on the environmental ecology of pathogens, and there's a gap there," he said. "The more we know, the more we can do to prevent it."
By December 2006, Brackett said, the guidance for lettuce should be completed, with details not only about whole lettuce but also fresh-cut lettuce.
"That's the next priority," he said.
Brackett said the government's message to encourage greater consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is challenged by the increase in illness outbreaks.
He said the food safety question is truly in the industry's court.
"We want to see them succeed," he said.