Canadian produce containers may be improperly sanitized, study finds
Nearly two-thirds of containers were not sanitized well enough to prevent contamination.
A new study from the University of Guelph in Ontario found 64 percent of containers used to ship fruits and vegetables in Canada were not sanitized well enough to prevent contamination. The school's food safety and quality assurance program tested reusable plastic containers (RPCs) at five produce packing operations in Ontario and Quebec, and found “significant variation on the sanitary status of RPCs at different growers."
Over 50 percent of trays had a higher aerobic count than expected on a clean surface. While no food safety threats such as pathogens were found, the study's authors that the RPC decontamination process be reviewed.
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