Tree Nuts: Food Safety Risk and Intervention Strategies

Worldwide nut production has expanded rapidly in recent years with a corresponding increase in consumption. Large outbreaks of salmonellosis have been associated with nuts and their products during this same time period, which has resulted in a major shift in the approach used to handle these products. The influence of differences in production, harvest, and processing practices for several types of tree nuts will be discussed in the context of introduction and reduction of foodborne pathogens. Potential routes of pre- and postharvest contamination of nuts with foodborne pathogens will be presented along with an overview of control strategies including current thermal and nonthermal methods and the factors affecting their efficacy.