Flooding adversely affects fresh produce safety

Abstract

Flooding is the most recurring and common natural disaster affecting society, food security and the environment. Floodwater is known to be a carrier of biological, chemical and physical hazards affecting food safety during primary production and processing of fresh horticultural produce. Runoff from livestock, industrial, residential and sewage treatment areas into waterways and their overflow can contaminate agricultural water sources, production fields and post-harvest processing facilities. A transient increase in the population of faecal indicators such as Escherichia coli and the detection of environmental pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in produce, water, soil and processing facility are the short-term and most notable impacts of flooding, leading to a significant amount of food losses due to microbial contamination and potentially a rise in the foodborne illnesses among produce consumers. However, the long-term impacts of recurring flooding are far more severe and damaging due to the survival and persistence of microbial pathogens in soils, water sources and processing environments. This article focuses on how flooding can exacerbate the microbial food safety risks in the primary production and processing of fresh produce and briefly describes the management strategies.