Fresh To Market: Innovation Ensuring Faster, Safer Produce To Shelves

Getting fresh produce to market while still ensuring quality and safety is often a paradox in the produce industry. The demand for more product with longer shelf life continues to rise as people try to eat healthier foods. However, public health data, recent recalls and outbreaks amidst increasing consumer awareness and changing regulatory requirements create a very challenging landscape for today’s growers, packers, retailers and other links throughout the supply chain. As a result, produce companies are turning to innovative solutions to help them meet the demands of producing and providing safe, quality products in a timely manner.

One of the most critical aspects in ensuring produce safety is pathogen testing. Because most pathogen test methods determine the presence or absence of a particular pathogen in a sample, the most common misconception is that all test methods are the same. However, there are several key differences among pathogen detection methods that producers should be aware of in order to ensure timely delivery of products without compromising their food safety programs. The two most important factors for a produce company are time to result and accuracy.