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eNewsletter, August 2011

August 1, 2011

Conferences and Meetings

International Association for Food Protection

July 31-August 3, 2011
Milwaukee, WI

Linda Harris, Michele Jay-Russell, Xunde Li, Tyann Blessington and Lisa Benjamin attended the IAFP annual meeting. This year marked the 100th anniversary of the organization’s founding in Milwaukee by dairy sanitarians (the original name was International Association of Dairy and Milk Inspectors). The 2011 annual meeting attracted over 2500 individuals from 46 countries, 44 states, and 6 Canadian provinces. A video of food safety professionals (including Linda Harris) offering toasts to the organization has been posted on the IAFP website. Papers authored by WIFSS staff and their students included the following (abstracts available online):

P1-119 Cryptosporidium spp. in Wild Rodent Populations Adjacent to Produce Production Fields--XUNDE LI, Edward Atwill, Tamara Vodovoz, Eduardo Vivas, Chengling Xiao, Christopher Kilonzo, Michele Jay-Russell and Trân Nguyen, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-31 Rdar Morphotype and Its Relationship to Desiccation Tolerance inSalmonella spp. — LUXIN WANG and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-96 Real Raw Milk Facts: An Innovative Evidence-based Food Safety Website—MICHELE T. JAY-RUSSELL, William D. Marler, Katherine Feldman, Michael Payne, Patti Waller and Ronald H. Schmidt, WIFSS, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-114 Long-term Survival of Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on Inoculated Almonds and In-shell Pistachios at Three Storage Temperatures — HARBIR KAUR, Martha Kimber, Michelle D. Danyluk and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-115 Behavior of Inoculated Salmonella spp. in Postharvest Pistachio Handling — VANESSA M. MORALES, Harbir Kaur, Irene Y. Zhao and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

P3-137 Evaluation of Factors That Impact Transfer of Escherichia coli from Gloves to Surfaces — IRENE Y. ZHAO and Linda J. Harris, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

News

In Memory of Robert E. (Bob) Frost

We mourn the loss of Bob Frost who worked part-time for WIFSS since 2008 on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agroterrorism Training Grant and the FDA Rapid Response Team Grant. Frost lost his battle with cancer on August 15. While not at WIFSS, Bob raised llamas on his ranch in Lincoln. He was a board member of the International Llama Association. Frost was a past president of the US Animal Health Association (USAHA) and he was lifetime member of the USAHA Board. Bob was an advocate for protecting humans from zoonotic diseases related to wildlife. He worked to benefit laboratory practices and he assisted in many projects to enhance USDA's animal health laboratories at Plum Island, New York, Ames, Iowa and the Ft. Collins, Colorado wildlife facility. As a part-time employee, Bob always found time to put WIFSS business at the forefront of his activities. He will be missed by the WIFSS team.

Obituaries:
UC Davis Veterinary News
Sacramento Bee

Bob Frost

Wildlife Source of E. coli O157:H7 in Outbreak Associated with Washington
County Strawberries

Michele Jay-Russell was interviewed for this article published in The Oregonian on August 17, 2011.

Outreach

Working to Reduce Microbial Foodborne Illness

The Summer 2011 issue of CA&ES Outlook magazine from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis includes an interview with Dr. Linda Harris (page 7) who since 2001 has worked closely with the almond industry to develop the scientific data needed to evaluate microbial risks in this crop.

Drs. Trevor Suslow and Linda Harris were interviewed for the same issue of in an article “UC Davis delivers the science to improve food safety.” (page 6) Suslow and his team often travel around the state of California to inform growers about the latest research, and when a contamination event is reported they travel on site as quickly as possible to capture data. The data is then used to fill in the gaps in information collected in controlled research trials targeted at reducing the risks to public health. Harris, Suslow, and other UC Davis food safety experts work collaboratively with researchers, industry, and regulators in the wide variety of disciplines that are needed to investigate microbial food safety risks in the food supply chain.

Consumer Food Safety for Summer Gardens

WIFSS and UC Food Safety Websites

Two publications of interest may be picked up at WIFSS, downloaded or ordered in bulk for training purposes. Send requests to Linda Harris for bulk orders and provide a UPS or FedEx account number.

Food Safety Tips for Edible Landscape Plants and Garden Produce

This publication provides a brief outline of the important components of microbial food safety practices for home gardeners and edible landscape practitioners. The diversity and scale of home garden environments, gardening practices, and food handling practices make a single approach to food safety planning in the garden unrealistic. This publication, drawn from research and practical experience, focuses on the key guiding principles of preventing contamination, reducing the survival of pathogens, and preventing cross-contamination at each step.

Spanish
English

Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables (with magnet)

Guidelines for minimizing the risk of foodborne illness from fresh fruits and vegetables through proper handling, washing, and storage. The publication is available as a brochure in both English and Spanish and as a camera-ready version of a refrigerator magnet.

Spanish
English

Coming Event

Your Sustainable Backyard: Olives

September 24, 2011
Davis, CA

Linda Harris will be the lunchtime speaker with a presentation on safe techniques for harvesting and curing your olives. Also included will be a guided olive oil tasting, an olive curing demonstration and more! The event will take place at the beautiful Sensory Theater in the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. Please join us for the workshop, tastings, demonstration and a lunch (included with your registration of $45). Agenda is here.

New Resource from the FDA

Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide

Baruch Fischhoff, PhD, Noel T. Brewer, PhD, & Julie S. Downs, PhD, editors
US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration
Risk Communication Advisory Committee and consultants.

If you are involved in risk communication, here is a resource for you: Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence Based User's Guide. This volume, from FDA's Risk Communication Advisory Committee and consultants, presents pointers on communication design, summaries of scientific foundations, and tips for evaluating communications in range of budgets. Effective risk communication is essential to the well-being of any organization and those people who depend on it. Ineffective communication can cost lives, money, and reputations. Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide provides the scientific foundations for effective communication.

Read the guide.