The Fresh Produce Assessment: The Relevance of Risk Assessment for the Food Service

Fresh produce at the end of the supply chain, the restaurant, does not often receive any intervention for microbial load reduction.  The restaurant relies on the partners upstream to have taken the necessary steps to assure the safety of the product, as at this point, the product is considered ready-to-eat. The question arises, how confident can the restaurant be of this assurance? End product testing? Is that the answer? By the time the test results come through, the product has been consumed.  If positive release is employed, then half the shelf-life, at best, has perished.  The provision of sound, simple and practical assessment of risk in the supply chain is essential in elevating security of product safety and further safeguarding consumer safety. Risk assessments have traditionally been directed towards the processor.  This practice must change and risk assessment must be extended to cover the complete supply chain, from farm to fork.  Risk based food safety tools and risk assessment are being employed more at the end and middle of the supply chain, but not often found at the beginning, the field growing stage. Rarely have we seen simple, focused and practical approaches to assessment of risk at the field level.  This approach would strengthens the supply chain and give more confidence to the consumer through reduction in food safety incidences, arising from pathogen contamination of fresh produce.