Irrigation water and microbiological safety of fresh produce; South Africa as a case study: A review

Irrigation water is perhaps the leading pre-harvest source of contamination of fresh produce in the . In this review, the impact of contaminated surface irrigation water on bacterial contamination of produce was examined. Some practical solutions to prevent or reduce this challenge were also . In South Africa, fruit and vegetables are produced on a large scale by commercial farmers depend on surface water for their cultivation. However, the surface water, that is, rivers- has been to be heavily contaminated with Escherichia coli and feacal coliforms. There is a concern that surface water used for irrigation may contaminate fresh vegetables which may also have negative effect on the export of vegetables to the EU and USA. Consumption of vegetables with foodborne pathogens presents a public health risk especially in countries like South that has more than 5 million people with immune-system compromised diseases such as HIV and . Other groups of people that may be negatively affected because of the contaminated water are those who are directly and indirectly associated with the production of fresh such as pickers, handlers, packers and farmers that participate in the production of during pre-harvest and post-harvest. Prevention of contamination of fresh produce from pre-harvest and post-harvest sources especially irrigation water still remains the only effective to protect the public. However, for this to occur, every stakeholder in the production industry must a culture of food safety.