Role of water used in the growing, handling and processing of fruits, vegetables and herbs on the spread of antimicrobial resistance - WateResist

To combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance bacteria (ARB) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) in fruits, vegetables, and herbs (FVH), the European Commission advocates for an integrated water management approach that includes reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation and reused processing water in the food industry. The WateResist study seeks to learn more about the presence and variety of ARB and ARGs in reclaimed wastewater used in pre-harvest stages, reused processing water used during post-harvest handling and processing operations for FVH, and food products themselves.

The study will be divided into four main objectives:
1: Optimization of culturomics/genomics-based detection methods for
ARB/ARDs in the FVH production sector at pre- and post-harvest.
2: Generation of new data on the occurrence and potential spread of ARB and
ARDs in FVH as a result of the use of reclaimed water at primary production (e.g.
irrigation and harvest operations).
3: Generation of new data on the occurrence and potential spread of ARB and
ARDs in FVH as a result of the use of reused processing water in post-harvest processing
activities.
4: Integration of the results obtained from the studies performed.

WateResist is a project aiming to develop sensitive detection methods for ARB/ARDs in FVH production and processing. Eight scenarios will be monitored to gather scientific evidence on the presence and variety of ARB and ARDs in reclaimed water. Six scenarios will evaluate reclamation treatments at urban wastewater treatment plants, while two will evaluate novel disinfection treatments. Twelve scenarios will monitor the presence of ARB and ARDs in reused processing water used for FVH. Water and crop samples will be collected at various points during pre- and post-harvest operations from at least three EU/EFTA countries. The findings will be integrated and compared to existing literature to provide an overview of the impact of water used in FVH growth, handling, and processing on the spread of AMR.