2. Safety Issues on the Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

The increasing number and severity of food-poisoning outbreaks worldwide has increased public awareness about the safety of food. As the food production chain is becoming increasingly complex, adequate protection of the health of consumers needs continued attention. In this field, raw consumed vegetables and fruits are an important growing market in developed countries. Whereas the health benefits associated with regular consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables eaten raw have been clearly demonstrated, an increasing proportion of reported outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to their consumption, particularly in Europe, Japan, the United States, and Canada, was traced back to fresh produce. An appropriate assessment of the microbiological risks regarding consumer health associated with these products is therefore required. As this group of products does not require additional culinary treatments before consumption (only washing, peeling, and cutting in some cases), or microbial hygienization treatments, and many people want to keep nutrients and functional compounds undamaged from heat treatments, the quality and level of safety achieved at the production level mainly represents the condition of the food upon consumption.