ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE
Zahra H. Mohammad, PhD Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston Thomas A. Little Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston Sujata A. Sirsat, MS, PhD Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, University of Houston
Enveloped Phi 6 Bacteriophage Persistence and Cross- Contamination on the Surface of Farmers Market Fomites
they provide guidelines or training to ven- dors (Mohammad et al., 2020). In another study that observed produce vendors in Southwest Virginia, Pollard et al. (2016) found none of the 42 vendors had handwash- ing stations, used gloves, or had hand sani- tizer present in their stalls, regardless of pre- vious food safety training from the Virginia Cooperative Extension. A survey of farmers from Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina found that only 39% used sanitizers of any kind on surfaces that touch produce on the farm and only 33% always cleaned contain- ers between uses for transporting produce to market (Harrison et al., 2013). The COVID-19 pandemic has had devas- tating worldwide eects (Suman et al., 2020). While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2023) stated in 2020 and continues to state that there is no risk of virus transmis- sion via food or food packaging, the World Health Organization (2021) has reported that coronaviruses can persist on frozen foods, packaging, and cold-chain products. Previ- ous research has shown that storage contain- ers from farmers markets have the potential to harbor bacterial pathogens and MS2 bacte- riophages (viral surrogate) for up to 59 days (Beiza et al., 2021). Additionally, studies have reported that respiratory viruses are able to survive for sev- eral days on fresh produce (Blondin-Brosseau et al., 2021; Yépiz-Gómez et al., 2013). Respi- ratory viruses can contaminate fomites from a) droplets of an infected person, b) air (aero- sols), c) contaminated hands, or d) other contaminated fomites (Castaño et al., 2021). Research has also shown that the transmis- sion of respiratory viruses—such as Middle
/@A?.0A This study aimed to investigate the survival and persistence of enveloped phi 6 bacteriophages on several fomites at farmers markets and simulate cross-contamination at farmers markets. Fomites from farmers markets were inoculated with phi 6 bacteriophages (a surrogate for coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2) and plaque forming units (PFUs) were assessed over 30 days at 23 ± 2 °C. Phi 6 persisted up to 16 days on wicker, 13 days on plastic, 4 days on cardboard and molded pulp fiber, and 2 days on tablecloths. The transfer rate of phi 6 from fomites to hands and produce was assessed at high and low phi 6 concentrations at 23 ± 2 °C. With a high concentration level (10 7 PFU/ml), the mean transfer rate from fomites to produce ranged from 21% to 30%, and fomites to hands ranged from 21% to 29%, while with a low phi 6 load (10 3 PFU/ml), the transfer rate from fomites to produce ranged from 10% to 30%, and no phi 6 was detected from fomites to hands. The results highlight the high risk of cross-contamination from fomites. From a practitioner and public health standpoint, the results of our study show the need to address the use of containers made from cardboard, molded pulp fiber, and wicker, and to ensure that these containers are not reused over time. In addition, managers of farmers markets should encourage the use of nonporous and easy-to-clean and sanitize reusable containers and other food contact surfaces.
Introduction According to the U.S. Department of Agri- culture (USDA, 2019), the number of farm- ers markets has risen from 1,755 in 1994 to 8,771 in 2019. This expansion of farmers markets has addressed consumer demand for local fresh produce (Stewart, 2018); how- ever, managers and vendors at farmers mar- kets need to be equipped with science-based resources to address food safety challenges.
Previous studies have found gaps in training and implementation related to these chal- lenges that have the potential to lead to issues of contamination and cross-contamination (Harrison et al., 2013; Mohammad et al., 2020; Pollard et al., 2016). A survey of vendors and managers at Texas and Arkansas farmers markets found that only 37% had received formal food safety training and only 50% of the managers said
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