New Guidance for Safer Production of Fresh Produce
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI)
today has published new guidance to assist growers with the safe production of
fresh produce on farms. The guidance and its accompanying simplified leaflet
outlines the potential risks associated with fresh produce and provides
practical advice to growers to reduce this risk and improve food safety. They
were developed in conjunction with an expert working group comprising
growers, processors, retailers, State bodies and former representatives.
Fresh produce (which includes fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, sprouted
seeds, edible flowers and herbs) is an integral component of the Irish diet
and its popularity and consumption continues to increase. As such, it is
important that growers producing fresh produce in Ireland use good
agricultural and hygiene practices to reduce risk and improve the safety of
fresh produce for all consumers.
The new guidance comes at a time when
outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with fresh produce are increasing.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has identified that fresh produce
such as leafy greens; bulb and stem vegetables; tomatoes; melons; fresh pods,
legumes or grains; sprouted seeds and berries pose the highest risks to
consumers. In 2013, frozen berries caused 240 confirmed cases of hepatitis,
with a probable 1,075 further cases across 11 European countries, including
Ireland. The FSAI’s advice to boil all frozen imported berries before
consumption is still in place, as contaminated berries could still be
circulating in the food chain.
According to Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief
Executive, FSAI anything which comes into contact with fresh produce has the
potential to cause contamination and it is vital that growers take the
necessary steps to limit contamination of fresh produce in the first instance.
“A lot of fresh produce is eaten raw such as fruits, vegetables
and herbs, so any harmful bugs that may be in the produce will not be removed
by cooking. This places a big onus on growers to use good agricultural and
hygiene practices to reduce the risk of contamination of fresh produce,” said
Dr Byrne.
The guidance makes it clear that anyone producing fresh
produce for sale must be registered as a grower with the Department of
Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The guidance goes on to highlight eight key
areas which growers should address to help reduce risk and improve food
safety, including:
- Choose the right site to grow fresh
produce
- Restrict the access of animals, pests and people to that
site
- Use organic fertilisers safely
- Use pesticides
safely
- Source and use a safe water supply
- Use good
harvesting practices
- Train staff and provide good staff
facilities
- Put a system of traceability and recall in place
The FSAI acknowledges and thanks the working group* who assisted in
developing the guidance document. It was comprised of growers, processors,
retailers as well as representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Food
and the Marine, Bord Bia, Teagasc, the EPA and the Irish Farmers Association.
The new guidance document and leaflet are available for free download at www.fsai.ie
* Full list of members: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pesticide Control Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Bord Bia, Teagasc, Natures Best, Keelings, Good4U, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland, Beechlawn Organic Farm, Monaghan Mushrooms, Irish Farmers Association