Fresh Produce: Innovative solutions to global safety of fresh produce

The purpose of the workshop is to create a new international research and innovation platform that involves BRIC countries and the US for the exchange of technologies, scientists and experience in the field of fresh produce. The background is the recent outbreaks of VTEC in Germany and economic loss across Europe, the Listeria outbreak in fruit in the US, and the repeated outbreaks of norovirus in imported berries to Denmark. There is an increasing international trade of fresh produce as a healthy food source. The food safety challenges raised by complex international trade, traceability issue and climate related changes highlight the need for timely scientific advice in order to guide risk management decisions. The workshop will review the problem and innovative solution in different countries. Global trade with stakeholders in many different countries makes the management of food safety extremely difficult. Concerns have emerged regarding the safety of fresh produce in response to recent outbreaks and alerts linked to fresh produce and derived food products. A pre-workshop visit is planned for Dr. Edna Liviera from EMBRAPA to stay one month at DTU-Food to receive training in metagenomic-based laboratory techniques. Post-workshop research visits are planned to follow up on outcomes and agreements made during workshop. The Action Plan will further build on scientific excellence by collaboration with all stakeholders in order to assure a high level of protection of human health. The network will explore development of innovative treatment and control measures of a managerial and technological nature in the supply chain of crop production, post-harvest processing and logistics to minimize food safety risks.