UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- As people in Pennsylvania and surrounding states continue to fall victim to a salmonella poisoning outbreak apparently traced to a regional convenience store chain, a food safety specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says consumers can demand more safety.

More than 100 confirmed cases of salmonellosis initially were thought to be associated with tomatoes or lettuce in prepared deli food purchased in Sheetz convenience stores in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state health department spokespeople. Luke LaBorde, associate professor in Penn State's food science department, says the number of national outbreaks has led to increased concern about product safety from legislators, as well as from food service operations and processors.

While the annual numbers of people who contract salmonellosis and other diseases from eating pre-packaged produce are relatively low, the widespread use of pre-packaged produce in everything from supermarkets to fast food makes it an area of concern. LaBorde says washing fruits and vegetables is a good start, but doesn't guarantee safety. Under some conditions, for instance, tomatoes can absorb contamination through otherwise-unblemished skin. And pre-packaged foods often are chopped or sliced at a remote facility.

"What we tend to rely on is the concept of shared responsibility throughout the food system," he says. "The grower, packer, shipper and distributor all share responsibility and must have some sort of food safety controls until that food reaches the restaurant or the consumer's kitchen. Consumers have to do their part, but the bulk of the work has to be done before the food reaches them."

LaBorde says the average consumer is "pretty powerless" in many such cases. Because consumers realistically can't be expected to test for bacterial contamination, the safety responsibility is on the retailer or food service operation. The consumer's best bet is to hold restaurants, food servers and grocers responsible as the closest link in a complex network of food production, he says.

"Right now, that's pretty much all the consumer can do -- go into the grocery store to the person stocking the produce shelves and ask if their company has a food safety plan with regard to their suppliers," he says. "Do they know if their suppliers are practicing safe food handling procedures from the packer all the way down to the grower?

"More and more, the real energy going into controlling food safety hazards is coming from the customers along each sector of that food system," LaBorde continues. "For instance, if I'm a packer buying from a grower, I want to make sure that grower is producing safe products because I'm worried about liability. Many packers are sending out auditors to inspect fields and make sure growers practice safe procedures for growing fruits and vegetables. The bottom line -- the cost to the company -- is a very strong incentive."

LaBorde says FDA policy historically has been to provide voluntary recommendations for producers while funding food safety research and outreach education. But, he says, they haven't been happy with the progress made by growers and suppliers of some commodities -- including lettuce and tomatoes -- and the current outbreak may force the agency to step in with federal regulations in the future.

"It's been up to those industries to come up with voluntary food safety standards and systems to control hazards and reduce the number of incidences of food borne illness associated with these products," he says. "Based on some of the recent outbreaks, it would seem that the FDA would be more apt to consider putting in regulations, at least for some of the more risky commodities. It's my guess that in the medium to extended future, we will see more regulations in place. It's just a matter of figuring out what kind of regulations are needed, how effective they will be, and whether they will be more costly than necessary to achieve the desired results."

For more information on the Pennsylvania salmonellosis outbreak or other food safety issues, visit the Penn State Department of Food Science's "Food Safety Throughout the Food System" Web site at http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/.

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EDITORS: Contact Luke LaBorde at 814-863-2298 or by e-mail at lfl5@psu.edu.

Writer/Editor: Gary Abdullah Office 814-863-2708 FAX 814-863-9877