Feeling a little uneasy these days about the health-promoting properties of those fresh fruits and vegetables? Have we learned to love the invisible army of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals fighting the good fight for our long-term health, only to be reminded of the insidious presence of an equally invisible army of foodborne bacteria with the potential to make us sick?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness reported in the United States each year. To reduce the incidence of foodborne illness, the actions taken to prevent produce contamination must be diligent and consistent, beginning on the farm and continuing through the entire food-handling process to consumer preparation.

Although proper cooking will kill most pathogens that may be present in or on a food, recent outbreaks in the United States have involved fresh produce that was not cooked before being consumed. Nevertheless, the consumption of raw fresh fruits and vegetables provides numerous valuable dietary nutrients. Therefore, it is important to consider ways to enhance the safety of these foods so that consumers can continue to enjoy fresh produce, whether it is cooked or uncooked.

Consumers want to reduce the risk in food; therefore, food producers and government regulators work tirelessly to do this as much as possible. There are also steps that consumers can take to reduce that risk.  Still, an absolute absence of risk, even for food, simply is not possible.
Many factors can contribute to the risk of foodborne illness. Pathogens (any disease-producing agent) may be introduced by the exposure of foods to improperly processed manure used as fertilizer or to manure from animals on the farm. Exposure to foodborne pathogens may also occur because of the use of bad-quality water in irrigation or as a result of poor worker hygiene. Inferior storage and preparation practices, such as the storage of food at improper temperatures and cross-contamination among foods, can also further the growth of pathogens that are already present.

Food producers and suppliers, including farmers, processors, distributors, grocery stores, and restaurants that prepare and sell food to consumers, all play a significant role in reducing foodborne illness risk. Foods must be grown, harvested, packed, processed, and distributed in a manner that minimizes microbial contamination.

Produce growers and processors have recognized the importance of preventing contamination at each step from farm to fork, as the pathogens present on these foods are difficult to remove. For example, the natural curve and curling characteristics of lettuce and leafy greens provide a safe haven for microbial stowaways.

What are Food Producers and Regulators Doing to Protect Consumers?
The actions that industry and government regulators have taken to protect consumers from foodborne illness can be broken down into four categories: (1) preventing contamination; (2) minimizing actual harm to the public if contamination has occurred; (3) improving communications among food producers, regulators, and the public; and (4) research into how and where foodborne illnesses arise in produce, and identify actions that can be taken to reduce these risks.

Numerous local actions have been ramped up as the result of the recent outbreaks. In January 2007, the produce industry—supported by industry representatives in the processing, distribution, and retail industries—called for the application of mandatory, strong, consistent, science-based, safety standards to both domestic and imported produce.

What Can Consumers Do to Protect Themselves?
It is important to remember that we do not live in a world free from risk.  Thus, although consumers must understand that foodborne illness is a real risk, health care professionals can convey that prevention is possible and provide them with specific steps to prevent the consumption of foodborne pathogens. The FightBAC! campaign, managed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education is an excellent resource for consumer guidance for safe food handling procedures (www.fightbac.org). The four steps are simple and memorable:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often
• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate
• Cook: Cook to proper temperature
• Chill: Refrigerate promptly

The FightBAC! Web site, as well as the International Food Information Council Foundation’s brochure A Consumer’s Guide to Food Safety Risks (http://ific.org/publications/other/consumersguideom.cfm), provide specific guidance for each step.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should be rinsed under running tap water. Fruits and vegetables with firm skins should be rubbed under running tap water or scrubbed with a clean cloth or paper towel. The use of detergent or bleach to wash produce is unnecessary and potentially hazardous, but even foods that will be peeled should be washed first. If pathogens are camped out on the rind of a cantaloupe, a perfectly clean knife could transfer the pathogen from the rind to the edible flesh with one slice.

Tips to Keep Your Kitchen Clean
Always wash all surfaces and utensils that come into contact with food with soap and hot water after each use. To kill bacteria, sanitize surfaces and utensil that come into contact with food with a solution of one to three tablespoons of household chlorine bleach per gallon of water, let stand two minutes; rinse, and allow the surface to air dry.

Creating and Sustaining Change
The incidence of foodborne illness can be reduced significantly, and consumers can play a leading role in making that happen. Together, the integrated actions of consumers, food suppliers, and regulators not only will reduce the incidence of foodborne illness, but also will sustain the wholesomeness of the food that we eat.