When: 1:45-3:15 p.m. Sunday, February 17
Synopsis: The world is a global marketplace, and the movement of goods has resulted in the movement of pathogens. This session explores the biosecurity risk and effect of exotic plant and human pathogens on crops and produce foods. The bacterial disease citrus canker, first found in Florida in 1985, was initially eradicated in citrus orchards, but re-emerged in urban Miami in 1995. The disease's further emergence in urban environments, exacerbated by hurricanes and tropical storms that spread the disease, provides a dramatic example of a pathogen that crosses the urban-agriculture interface. Foodborne outbreaks from produce have risen over the last few decades, rising from seven in 1992 to 85 in 2004 in the United States alone. Between 1990 and 2004, there were 639 outbreaks. One reason for this increase is better detection methodology at the national and international level. Another is the volume of fresh produce demanded by the public year round has dramatically increased. Two pathogens are of particular concern: Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. Salmonella has caused outbreaks stemming from tomatoes, peanut butter, almonds, and cantaloupes; E. coli has caused outbreaks from alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, and spinach. The precise source of the contamination is rarely identified. This symposium brings together topics that present the information on the risks of moving live plants around the country and on the risks of foodborne illnesses from plant food products with examples of damages and costs to agriculture and human health.
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