Hazard Analysis and Mitigation in Fresh Produce Distribution Centers: A HACCP Approach

Food safety best practices in distribution centers (DC) that handle, store, and/or repack fresh produce have received less attention than other sectors of the food industry. While most food products move through these facilities in fully enclosed packaging, fresh produce is often shipped in unsealed, vented containers to allow for adequate respiration of the products for maximum quality and shelf life. However, some questions persist regarding the risk of microbial food safety hazards to fresh produce in vented containers. Therefore, DCs that handle, store, and/or repack fresh produce exposed to the environment must examine potential food safety hazards within their facilities. To protect produce from contamination within a facility, these hazards should be considered with respect to the fresh produce products themselves, intended consumers, and facility design features and practices that may enhance or mitigate potential hazards. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based approach provides an internationally recognized and benchmarked (i.e., by the Global Food Safety Initiative) opportunity to combine these factors with other best practices, including cleaning and sanitizing, proper handling of iced product, pest management strategies, and suggestions for the implementation of environmental monitoring programs, to facilitate successful food safety management. As HACCP is foundational for other regulatory food safety programs, and because it is widely accepted as an international audit benchmark, adoption of this systematic approach is useful to protect the safety of all food handled in DCs.