Fresh Cut Magazine

Economics of Safety

The fresh-cut industry has largely been spared from the recent devastating recalls in peanut products and pistachios, but there’s an indirect consequence any time food safety is on center stage. The appointees to various agencies are still getting their feet wet, or in some cases have yet to be named, but already there’s talk of increased enforcement in the food industry. Not only has FDA taken a leadership role in encouraging companies to recall products affected by the peanut or pistachio salmonella findings, the agency also has served warrants on facilities that failed to recall potentially contaminated products. FDA has also been cooperating in the federal investigation of the Peanut Corporation of America, which supplied the bulk peanut products contaminated with salmonella to almost 4,000 different products from 357 companies. While some may choose to look at the increased enforcement as a source of worry – with…  » Read more

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Research studies E. coli in leafy greens processing

Ongoing research at Michigan State University (MSU) could have a major impact on the way leafy greens are processed in the United States. That’s according to a report Elliot Ryser gave to the Michigan Vegetable Council in March. Ryser is a professor at MSU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. He and his colleagues are working on a systems approach to minimize the E. coli O157:H7 hazards associated with fresh and fresh-cut leafy greens. According to the report, the research has four main objectives: 1) To assess the quantitative transfer of E. coli between leafy greens during processing operations. 2) To assess the efficacy of intervention strategies for enhancing the safety and shelf life of fresh-cut leafy greens contaminated with E. coli. 3) To develop a mathematical risk model for E. coli contamination associated with the production and sale of leafy greens. 4) To disseminate research…  » Read more

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New York processor focuses on growing fresh-cut segment

J. Kings Foodservice Professionals Inc. has been in business since 1974 when it was founded by John King, and has been processing fresh-cut fruits and vegetables for the last nine years. In that time, demand for value-added products that provide convenience and safety has grown so much that the company recently expanded to a new facility that provides four times more space. The company had $160 million in sales last year, with produce accounting for 35 percent of sales, Panagakos said. The company’s fresh-cut operation, Kitchen Cuts, has been in existance for the last nine years and the recent expansion is focused on continued growth. J. Kings started the process in it’s new building in Holtsville, on Long Island in New York, in 2000 and the new facility was completed last fall on a site about six or seven miles from the company’s headquarters. The…  » Read more

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Federal agency finds recordkeeping lacking in food bought at retail

Recent foodborne outbreaks have brought into question the ability of FDA to track down the source of a contaminated product due to inadequate recordkeeping. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a report March 26 that identified areas of improvement for the food supply, and specifically for the fresh-cut produce industry. The report was issued the same day Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh Produce Association, and Craig Henry, senior vice president for science and regulatory affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies, chaired by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) The Inspector General’s report was a traceability exercise that tracked 40 items from four categories from retail purchase back to the farm. Of those items, four were bagged salads and four…  » Read more

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