Industry partnerships drive food safety research for fresh produce in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand have largely relied on international peer reviewed research to provide the knowledge that underpins our fresh produce safety systems. To provide more of an Australian-NZ context, the Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry, jointly funded by the Australian Research Council, 18 partner organisations, and The University of Sydney, was established. We have created an innovation platform of food safety researchers, industry personnel and training organisations, who together, have enhanced capacity and skills to significantly advance the safety of fruit and vegetables produced in Australia and New Zealand. The objectives of the Centre were two-fold: to conduct industry-focused research to develop practical solutions to prevent or minimise food safety risks across the value chain and, to educate a new generation of research professionals to drive future food safety research. The research was grouped into three broad areas: a) preharvest; b) postharvest; and c) risk assessment. Preharvest research outputs included: development of decision-making tools for more effective risk management in irrigation water sources; a meta-analysis on environmental drivers for the persistence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. in manure-amended soils and recommendations for optimum harvest exclusion periods after application; and use of novel preharvest sanitiser treatments to inactivate or suppress growth of pathogens on leafy greens. Postharvest research outputs developed models to describe the growth and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes on apples and cucumbers in international and domestic supply chains, interactions between sanitisers and fungicides, and the use of plasma activated water as a novel sanitiser. For risk assessments outputs, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models were developed to estimate risk from preharvest environmental conditions for leafy greens and postharvest practices for apples. A Food Safety Management System Diagnostic Tool (FSMS-DT) was developed for apple packhouses. This presentation reports on key implications from our research for industry.