Bagged Salad Products Producing New Diseases
Ready-to-eat salads have steadily gained popularity since their introduction
in Europe in the early 1980s. This trend is expected to grow, marking
opportunities for the fresh food industry but as the industry grows
dynamically, so does the number of new diseases, like a new race of
Fusarium wilt. There are many reasons for this increase according to
a new review in Plant Disease. These seasonal products are grown
under high crop density in five to six cycles annually in the same
specialized farms with a lack of adequate crop rotation and a
shortage of applicable fungicides. Additionally, international trade
has moved crops away from their original environments to foreign soils,
where they encounter new diseases. Sometimes, very low levels of seed
contamination can lead to the rapid emergence of new diseases in new
geographic areas, resulting in severe losses, disrupting the environment’s
biological equilibrium, and sometimes launching a devastating epidemic.
— hortdaily.com
Iceland Plans Massive Greenhouse Project for Fruits, Veggies
With research showing humans need to produce as much food in the next
40 years as we did during the previous 8,000 years, a municipality in Iceland
is building a series of massive greenhouses. A company called Paradise
Farams and Ölfus municipality (southwest Iceland) have signed an
agreement involving the leasing of 124 acres of land for organic food
production (mainly in greenhouses). The goal is to produce more than
5,000 tons of vegetables and fruits (including mangoes, avocados,
bananas, and papayas) in the first year. Gunnar Þorgeirsson, head of
the Association of Icelandic Horicultural Farmers, reports the plans call for
one million square feet of greenhouse space, with the option of expanding
to 5.3 million square feet. When asked whether growing exotic fruits in
Iceland is realistic, Þorgeirsson responds, “It depends on (our ability to)
obtain energy — electricity as well as hot water — at a reasonable price.”
— freshplaza.com
FDA to Test Romaine Lettuce for E. coli Clues
After four outbreaks in less than two years where likely contaminated romaine lettuce
contained deadly E. coli O157: H7, the Food and Drug Administration is turning to
microbial testing for clues for the next year to try to figure out what’s happening.
The FDA reports it is now “conducting a small, focused assignment to collect
samples of the raw agricultural commodity (RAC) romaine lettuce to test
for salmonella app and pathogenic Escherichia coli...” The year-long
testing program will run through November 2020. Testing for Shiga
Toxin-producing E. coli or STECS includes the microbial hazards
associated with romaine lettuce consumption. The FDA will
collect raw lettuce that is trimmed or washed in its natural
form before processing. The four E. coli outbreaks infected
a total of 320 people and were notable for their high
hospitalization rates. Five outbreak patients died.
— freshplaza.com
Maximum Yield
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