A Case Study of Salmonellosis Associated with Consumption of Fresh-market Tomatoes and the Development of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Program

Abstract

In most developed countries, Salmonella is the main pathogen associated with documented illnesses caused by foodborne microbes (Bean and Griffin, 1990; Buzby et al., 1996). The annual cost of salmonellosis outbreaks in medical fees and time lost from work in the United States was estimated at ≈$1 billion in 1989 (Roberts and van Ravenswaay, 1989). By 1996, this estimate had soared to $3.5 billion, but the data are subject to interpretation because of: a) the difficulty in estimating medical costs for ill persons; b) the impossible task of determining lost work productivity in unreported cases of illness; and c) the tenuous nature of placing a value on the loss of life (Buzby et al., 1996). There are no reliable estimates of annual losses to businesses. Salmonellosis was traditionally linked to the consumption of meat and meat products, but in recent years the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables has been implicated in several outbreaks (Beuchat and Ryu, 1997; Brackett, 1998; Buzby, 1995; Hedburg et al., 1994). While the percentage of cases linked to produce is low compared with other foods, there are sufficient incidents to warrant concern. Not only have the food groups changed, but the typical scenario of an outbreak has changed as well. The classic “potato salad at the picnic,” where a few people become ill from a poorly handled dish at a single gathering, has given way to a scenario involving low-level contamination of massproduced, widely distributed products that tend to produce sporadic illness across state and national borders (Stephenson, 1997). The case study presented here for tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) could be typical of virtually any fresh produce item.