Fresh Express to Fund Study of E. coli 0157:H7 in Produce

In the wake of the recent, serious outbreaks of pathogenic Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Fresh Express, Salinas, CA, announced it will provide up to $2 million to fund rigorous multidisciplinary research to help the fresh-cut produce industry prevent contamination by the deadly bacterium, which has caused numerous outbreaks over the past decade, including the recent contamination of fresh spinach.

An independent scientific advisory panel of six nationally recognized food-safety experts from federal and state food-safety-related agencies and academia has been meeting on a voluntary basis since May 2006 to develop research priorities related to the source, mode of action and life cycle of E. coli 0157:H7 and its contamination of lettuce and leafy greens. The panel is chaired by Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

We systematically used our individual areas of expertise to scrutinize the entire supply chain and ultimately uncover the areas where we collectively agreed more research was necessary, said Osterholm. From this process, the five critical research priorities began to emerge fairly consistently.

The group identified the following research priorities and is seeking research proposals to address them:

Determine the potential for E. coli O157:H7 to be internalized into lettuce or spinach.

Identify new mitigation strategies and technologies to reduce the potential for E. coli O157:H7 to contaminate leafy green produce.

Conduct field studies to identify sources, vehicles and factors that affect the degree of contamination or extent of contamination of leafy green produce by E. coli O157:H7.

Determine the ability of E. coli O157:H7 to multiply in the presence of normal background flora following the harvest of produce such as lettuce or spinach.

Determine the ability of E. coli O157:H7 to survive composting processes.

Funding is available immediately, and all proposals will be reviewed against guidelines established by the panel, which, without restriction by Fresh Express, will review proposals, make funding decisions, and monitor and disseminate research results.

Questions regarding proposal submission can be addressed to Osterholm at 612/626-6770 or at [email protected].

We are grateful to these leading experts for their generous contribution of time and expertise to guide this initiative, says Tanios Viviani, president, Fresh Express. We are hopeful that this research will yield new knowledge, practices and technologies that the entire fresh-cut produce industry can use to provide consumers with ready-to-eat produce that is consistently safe and healthy.