Abstract
Globalization has enabled the year-round availability of imported fresh produce in Toronto, supplementing the variety of locally grown produce in Ontario. Increased consumption of produce has led to more foodborne outbreaks, with E. coli O157:H7 as the second most frequent cause of illnesses. In this study, the levels of heterotrophic bacteria, coliforms, and generic E. coli were compared between three types of imported and local produce. Significantly higher levels (p<0.04) of heterotrophic bacteria were found in imported basil. Local romaine (p<0.01) and local spinach (p<0.001) contained significantly higher levels of coliforms. Local spinach also had a significantly higher (p<0.005) number of samples with coliform levels above 100 CFU/g. Although no statistical significance was found between the presence of E. coli and origin of produce, the five imported samples positive for E. coli compared to zero local samples supports the hypothesis that imported produce is more susceptible to microbial contamination.
Highlights
1.1 The Growing Produce ProblemCanada has one of the highest consumption rates of fresh fruits and vegetables per capita in the world (Kozak et al, 2013)
The findings suggest that overall heterotrophic bacteria levels differ between imported and local produce, an observation that is statistically significant (p=0.035)
The results of this feasibility study indicate that overall there were five imported samples that were positive for E. coli compared to zero local samples
Summary
Canada has one of the highest consumption rates of fresh fruits and vegetables per capita in the world (Kozak et al, 2013). According to the 2009 Food Statistics published by Statistics Canada (2010a), fresh fruit consumption, including citrus, and vegetable consumption, excluding potatoes, reached a record of 39.3 kg per person and 40.7 kg per person, respectively. Produce fields have become situated closer to livestock and other potential environmental and health hazards, posing serious concerns that can impact the quality and safety of fresh produce (Kozak et al, 2013). Since produce is minimally processed and often consumed raw, consumers face increased health risks and are exposed to foodborne pathogens that are not eliminated through a cooking process (Kozak et al, 2013). Coliforms could be detected their inconsistent association with fecal contamination was concerning (Carrero-Colon et al, 2011). The class of “fecal coliforms” was introduced and replaced coliforms as an indicator of fecal contamination (Feng et al, 2002)
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