eNewsletter, July 2011

Conferences and Meetings

Almond Board of California

July 13, 2011
Lodi, CA

The Almond Board held its 13th Annual Food Quality and Safety Symposium in the Wine and Roses Hotel in Lodi, attended by approximately 200 people.  Linda Harris presented a talk entitled “Ten years of studying Salmonella in almonds—what we have learned”.  A recognition plaque presented to her was inscribed “Dr. Linda Harris aka ‘The Almond Queen’, In appreciation for your outstanding service to the California almond industry July 2011.”   

 
The Almond Queen
Linda Harris

American Veterinary Medical Association

July 16-19, 2011
St Louis, MO

Michele Jay-Russell attended the AVMA Convention 2011.  This year marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of veterinary medicine.   Food safety topics included impacts of antimicrobial resistance, pet food safety, and emerging foodborne pathogens. Key veterinary public health organizations met including the American Association of Public Health Veterinarians (AAPHV), the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV), and the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM).

View the preview book here.  

Outreach

Manure Management

A new resource on manure management compiled by Michael Payne has been posted on the website of the Western Center for Food Safety.  Selected recommendations include the following:

• Animal manure can contain bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7, as well as parasites like roundworms and tapeworms.

• Persons most likely to be seriously harmed by manure pathogens include pregnant women, the elderly, infants and children and the immune-compromised.

• Animal manure can be used as an effective fertilizer and soil amendment but it should not be allowed to contaminate foods which are consumed uncooked, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Store manure away from areas where fresh produce is grown and handled. Use distance or physical barriers to prevent runoff or wind drift of manure. Prevent cross-contamination by tools or farm equipment.

• When growing fresh fruits and vegetables, adequately composting animal manure is the most effective practice.

• In addition to composting animal manures other manure management practices can be used including field-applying manure shortly after harvesting and incorporating the manure into the soil as soon as possible.

See more manure management resources here. 

The Packer published an opinion piece on July 28, 2011, citing a presentation by Michele Jay-Russell at the Center for Produce Safety produce research symposium held last month in Orlando, FL.  Jay-Russell is investigating potential reservoirs of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella in produce production areas of Arizona and Mexico in collaboration with leafy greens industry partners.

Posters from the symposium are also available online here. 

HACCP Workshops

October 24-28, 2011
Davis, CA

Basic HACCP: A Food Safety Program and Advanced HACCP: Verification, Implementation, and Other Challenges will be presented by UC Davis Extension.  Both programs are accredited by the International HACCP Alliance.  Instructors include Linda Harris, Nina Parkinson, and Michael Jantschke.  These workshops were developed to better prepare members of the food industry and associated businesses to understand food safety for their own products and for ingredients they may purchase.