The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is allocating just over $2.7 million to fund ten new research projects aimed at addressing critical food safety concerns within the fresh produce industry. These projects involve principal investigators from research organizations in five U.S. states and Spain.

Out of the ten projects, nine were granted through CPS’s annual call for research proposals, which highlighted key science priorities in the industry. The research topics include assessing and mitigating risks associated with waxing roller brushes, enteric viruses, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) Subpart E (Agricultural Water Rule), and other relevant issues. The focus spans from the field to packinghouses, with potential applications to the entire fresh produce supply chain.

To ensure the relevance of the research to industry needs, proposals underwent scrutiny and refinement by CPS Technical Committee members and other expert volunteers. The projects commenced in January 2024 and are anticipated to conclude within 1–2 years.

In addition to the nine projects awarded through the annual grant process, CPS granted one special project titled “Tri-State Special Project on Harvest Equipment: A Data-Informed Consensus of ‘Clean for the Intended Purpose.'” Led by Dr. Channah Rock from the University of Arizona and Dr. Michelle Danyluk from the University of Florida, this project addresses an urgent industry need that arose between annual grant cycles. The project, initiated in November 2023, will culminate in a final presentation at the 2024 CPS Research Symposium.

The other nine newly-funded projects encompass various aspects of produce safety:

1. “Control Of Listeria Monocytogenes on Avocado and Avocado Contact Surfaces During Dry Packing by Acetogenins Naturally Present in Avocado Seed” by Alejandro Castillo, Ph.D. from Texas A&M Agrilife Research.
2. “Survival of Pathogens on Work-in-Process Fresh-Cut Produce Ingredients” by Xuetong Fan, Ph.D. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS).
3. “Evaluation of Sanitation Protocols for Nonconventional Food-Contact Surface Materials Used in Produce Packinghouses” by Kristen Gibson, Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
4. “Improving Methods for the Assessment of Infectious Human Enteric Virus Survival in Produce” by Susana Guix, Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona.
5. “Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of Food-Grade Compounds in Wax Coatings on Fruits During Wax Drying” by Nitin Nitin, Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.
6. “Developing a User-Friendly Risk Assessment Tool to Assess the Food Safety Risks of Fresh Produce Production and Landscape” by Alda Pires, Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.
7. “Development of a Risk Ranking Tool for Evaluating Hazards and Risks Related to Agricultural Water Subpart E” by Channah Rock, Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.
8. “Testing Wetting Agents for Soil Drag and Bootie Swabs and Validating Them in Varied Agricultural Soils” by Matthew Stasiewicz, Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
9. “Characterization and Mitigation of Food Safety Risks Associated With Waxing Roller Brushes” by Luxin Wang, Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Researchers will present progress reports and final findings at CPS’s annual Research Symposium, and project statuses and findings will be disseminated through CPS communications. The research program is made possible through funds from the Center for Produce Safety’s Campaign Contributors and Specialty Crop Block Grant programs in California, Washington, Florida, and Texas.

Source: Food Safety Magazine

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