A Whole‐Chain Approach to Food Safety Management and Quality Assurance of Fresh Produce

Abstract

Raw vegetables can become contaminated with bacteria that cause foodborne illness, degrade food quality or reduce product shelf life. Since fresh produce can become contaminated at any point from cultivation to consumption along the food supply chain, it is essential to apply a whole-chain approach tomanaging food safety and quality. The Institute forMicrobial Control of the Food Chain (iMIK) was established in Belgium to examine the different processes and stakeholders in the entire food supply chain, to identify critical points concerning food safety and quality, and to provide the food industry with an evidence-based approach to food safety management that is supported by scientific data. In this chapter, case studies of food safety controls at the different stages of the supply chain are presented, such as the impact of harvest procedures on fresh produce microbiology and the evaluation of fresh produce in the cold chain. Based on the results obtained, critical points were identified and processes were modified to improve food safety and quality. The data presented in this chapter clearly demonstrate the usefulness of a whole-chain approach to effective food safety management and quality assurance of fresh produce.