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• Food Safety Services:

• Overview
• Food Safety Check-Up
• Food Safety Auditing
• Crisis and Recall Services
• Crisis/Recall Team Member
• Food Allergy Services
• Regulatory Liaison
• Food Safety Training
• Drug & Cosmetic Services
• Services by Industry
• BSE - Mad Cow
• Litigation Support

Fruits & Vegetables - Handling Produce and Produce-Related Illnesses

Fruits and Vegetables are good for you, but Handle with Care!
 

According to the CDC, foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and produce account for approximately 12% of the reported foodborne illnesses in the United States.

The incidence rate for illnesses associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and produce continues to increase, partially due to improved surveillance measures as well as an increase in year long consumer consumption of both domestic and internationally grown fruits and vegetables.

EHA’s infectious disease epidemiologists and food safety experts have been successful in investigating several of the largest, high visible foodborne outbreaks associated with fruits and vegetables across the United States.

We can also assist you in the following ways:

• Create product specific HACCP plans and evaluate current HACCP plan.
• Evaluate SSOP’s, GAP’s and GMP’s and audit these programs to determine compliance with FDA regulatory guidelines and recommendations.
• Prevent product recalls and develop traceability programs.
• Provide task oriented produce safety training and education of employees.
• Crisis management, epidemiology and outbreak investigation.
• Third party auditing of vegetable and produce fields.

Our team of food safety consultants have assisted produce operations in the creation of GAP’s, “Good Agricultural Practices” and GMP’s “Good Manufacturing Practices” that have improved the handling and manufacturing of fruits and vegetables as a result of past foodborne outbreaks associated with the specific produce items. From the farm environment to the retail environment, our public health experts can assist in the improvement of sanitary conditions that make your facilities a safer environment to grow, pack, process, transport and sell fruit and vegetable items.