peaches packed or supplied by a large grower/producer. In total, in the U.S. there were 101 reported
illnesses across 17 states.
- 'The traceback investigation identified multiple distributors, packing facilities, and orchards that supplied bagged and/or loose peaches during the timeframe of interest to the identified points of service, with a large grower/producer’s peaches and packing facilities supplying the majority of peaches associated with points of service during the timeframe of interest; however, a single point or source of contamination was unable to be determined by the traceback investigation.'
- 'In total, over 700 tests were conducted, including: approximately 180 tests of peach leaves and approximately 20 tests of peaches collected from multiple orchards, approximately 480 tests of environmental samples and approximately 20 tests of peach products collected from three peach packing/holding facilities, and approximately 20 tests of peach products collected from two additional distribution centers (one in Iowa and one in Illinois) for testing. While no test results matched the 2020 outbreak strain, four tests returned positives for Salmonella Alachua and two tests returned positives for Salmonella Montevideo.'
- 'Isolates from one peach test and three leaf tests, each collected from an orchard adjacent to a poultry facility, were positive for Salmonella Alachua.'
- 'Salmonella Montevideo was detected in two tests of orchard canopy leaves collected during this
follow-up investigation, each collected from an orchard with adjacent or nearby cattle operations.'
- 'We [FDA] hypothesize that the adjacent animal operations (both poultry and cattle) were a likely contributing factor to the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak – with fugitive dust as one possible route of product contamination. In addition, almond orchards were also identified to be in the vicinity of several identified peach orchards and almond operations have the capacity to generate significant dust due to the nature of their harvesting method in a relatively dry growing environment – as well as having the documented potential to harbor Salmonella populations'
In light of these findings, FDA encourages all farms (including growers, harvesters, etc.) to:
- Be cognizant of and assess risks that may be posed by adjacent and nearby land uses, especially as it relates to fugitive dust exposure from adjacent or nearby livestock and poultry.
- Assess growing operations to ensure that appropriate science- and risk-based preventive measures are in place, including applicable provisions of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and good agricultural practices.
- Consider additional tools such as pre-harvest and/or post-harvest sampling and testing of products to help inform the risk assessment and clarify the need for specific prevention measures.
- When pathogens are identified through microbiological surveys, pre-harvest testing of produce, or post-harvest testing of produce implement industry-led root cause analyses to determine how the contamination likely occurred and then implement appropriate prevention and verification measures.
- Improve traceability through increased digitization, interoperability, and standardization of traceability records which would expedite traceback and help remove contaminated product from the marketplace more quickly, thereby preventing further illnesses. This is not only important for growers, but also critical for shippers, manufactures, and retailers as well, to improve overall traceability throughout the supply chain.
Personally, the fugitive dust guess is a bit of a stretch considering the number of cases. There are so many factors that could have played a major role, but would have been impossible for inspectors to see at the time of inspection with time passing and operations changing.
Investigation Report: Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Peaches Implicated in the Summer 2020 Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis
Executive Summary
Between August and October 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and multiple
state and federal partners investigated an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to
peaches packed or supplied by a large grower/producer. In total, in the U.S. there were 101 reported
illnesses across 17 states. Based on the historical outbreak data, this multistate outbreak appears
to represent a novel commodity/pathogen pair. The epidemiological and traceback investigation
identified the large grower/producer’s packinghouses, cooling facilities and/or orchards as a
potential source of the peaches and helped prioritize investigational activities.
The investigation did not result in finding the outbreak strain (via whole genome sequencing
(WGS)) in investigation samples, however, numerous Salmonella isolates were found in samples
collected from the peach orchards. Multiple Salmonella isolates from product (peach) and peach
tree leaf sampling activities conducted during this investigation genetically resembled historical
chicken and cattle isolates not associated with this outbreak or any known foodborne illnesses.
Geospatial analyses of the orchards that supplied fresh peaches during the period of interest,
coupled with WGS analysis that showed closely related Salmonella isolates from peach/leaf and
historical animal samples, suggested several plausible opportunities for contamination including
from airborne transmission of fugitive dust possibly originating from adjacent animal operations
(e.g., poultry or cattle). The large grower/producer cooperated with FDA throughout the
investigation and is continuing to engage with FDA on the agency’s findings and
recommendations.
FDA views the implementation of appropriate science-and-risk-based produce safety interventions
as the most effective and practicable means to enhance the safety of fresh produce. Food safety is
a shared responsibility that involves food producers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, and
regulators. FDA also recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their
shared environment when it comes to public health outcomes. As such, we strongly encourage
collaboration among various groups in the broader agricultural community (i.e., operators of
animal production, produce growers, state and federal government agencies, and academia) to
address this issue. With this collaboration, those managing animal operations, alongside other
industry, academic, and government partners, can work to identify and implement measures to
reduce the likelihood of fresh produce contamination with human pathogens as in this case with
tree fruit.
Between August and October 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and multiple
state and federal partners investigated an outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections linked to
peaches packed or supplied by a large grower/producer. In total, in the U.S. there were 101 reported
illnesses across 17 states. Based on the historical outbreak data, this multistate outbreak appears
to represent a novel commodity/pathogen pair. The epidemiological and traceback investigation
identified the large grower/producer’s packinghouses, cooling facilities and/or orchards as a
potential source of the peaches and helped prioritize investigational activities.
The investigation did not result in finding the outbreak strain (via whole genome sequencing
(WGS)) in investigation samples, however, numerous Salmonella isolates were found in samples
collected from the peach orchards. Multiple Salmonella isolates from product (peach) and peach
tree leaf sampling activities conducted during this investigation genetically resembled historical
chicken and cattle isolates not associated with this outbreak or any known foodborne illnesses.
Geospatial analyses of the orchards that supplied fresh peaches during the period of interest,
coupled with WGS analysis that showed closely related Salmonella isolates from peach/leaf and
historical animal samples, suggested several plausible opportunities for contamination including
from airborne transmission of fugitive dust possibly originating from adjacent animal operations
(e.g., poultry or cattle). The large grower/producer cooperated with FDA throughout the
investigation and is continuing to engage with FDA on the agency’s findings and
recommendations.
FDA views the implementation of appropriate science-and-risk-based produce safety interventions
as the most effective and practicable means to enhance the safety of fresh produce. Food safety is
a shared responsibility that involves food producers, distributors, manufacturers, retailers, and
regulators. FDA also recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their
shared environment when it comes to public health outcomes. As such, we strongly encourage
collaboration among various groups in the broader agricultural community (i.e., operators of
animal production, produce growers, state and federal government agencies, and academia) to
address this issue. With this collaboration, those managing animal operations, alongside other
industry, academic, and government partners, can work to identify and implement measures to
reduce the likelihood of fresh produce contamination with human pathogens as in this case with
tree fruit.
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