The Food Safety Risks of Harvesting Dropped and Drooping Produce: A Review

Abstract

The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule sets forth minimum standards for fruit and vegetable production in the U.S. One provision states that growers must not harvest dropped produce, as damage or ground contact may contaminate produce. An unpublished survey of 2020 food safety inspections conducted by the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety identified handling of dropped covered produce as a common misunderstanding and non-compliance issue among Northeast growers. In considering this provision’s on-farm practicality, this review was conducted to evaluate the risks associated with dropped and drooping produce to guide growers in making informed risk management decisions, and to answer the following questions: 1) What are the risk factors that influence transferability of pathogens from touching the ground to produce?; and 2) What are the risks associated with harvesting dropped or drooping produce covered under the Rule? A search of online databases found twelve relevant publications, which highlight moisture, contact time, and crop features as affecting contamination rates from a ground surface to a crop surface. Soil and mulch pose a differential risk, with bare soil generally presenting a lower risk than plastic mulch. The effects of other mulch types is unclear. Mulches may promote pathogen persistence in soil, though they may also protect produce from contaminated soils. These studies are limited in their scope and applicability and most do not directly address dropped produce. Future research is needed to clarify the varying effects of dropped and drooping produce, the impact of ground surface type on pathogen survivability and transfer, soil and crop features that facilitate contamination, and post-harvest risks of harvesting dropped or drooping produce. A comprehensive understanding will guide growers in implementing preventive measures and better managing risk in a way practicable to their farm's unique conditions.