ANN/THE STAR – Organic food offers numerous health benefits, according to a recent review in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which found that food produced without pesticides, artificial fertilisers, or genetically modified organisms is linked to a reduced risk of health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Consumers of organic food also tend to make other healthy lifestyle choices.

Shoppers are increasingly drawn to food free of pesticide residues, heavy metals and hormones, with richer colour, aroma and flavour than conventional produce.

Studies suggest organically grown fruits and vegetables contain more antioxidants and often have superior taste.

However, there are concerns about the safety of organic food, as its rising popularity has brought a new challenge: a potential increase in gut bacteria linked to gastrointestinal illnesses like salmonellosis, cholera and dysentery.

How these pathogens are entering the organic food supply is an emerging research area, as it appears that bacteria from animal guts may be migrating to plants and then re-entering the human digestive system.

A GROWING MARKET

The organic food market is dominated by fruits and vegetables, followed by bread, cereals, milk and meat. Fruit grown organically also holds a prominent position in global trade.

Despite organic food production and distribution being primarily associated with developed nations, developing countries are moving into more cultivation and export of organic goods and commodities.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a shift in food consumption, with people increasingly opting for organic foods as a proactive health strategy.

Increasing health consciousness and changing preferences towards products rich in nutrients, sourced naturally and with numerous health advantages, are what drive’s the organic food market in most countries. This altered consumer behaviour is anticipated to significantly expand the organic food market in the foreseeable future.

On one hand, people who consume organic food have reported increased energy and fitness levels.

Those with sensitivities to certain foods, chemicals or preservatives have also reported better health outcomes. However, the growth in consumption of organic food has coincided with the increased use of antibiotics in recent years.

In agricultural settings, this has led to a situation where enteric pathogens not only evade the gut environment, but also colonise plants, posing a significant food safety concern.

Organic produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots are often used in salads, and mostly eaten unprocessed or with minimal processing. Contaminated fresh produce does not show the sign of any disease, but once consumed by humans can lead to gastrointestinal illness.

There have been several fresh produce-related outbreaks around the world. Studies show that pathogenic bacteria are using plants as a secondary host to recolonise human hosts.

CONTAMINATION RISKS

Animal and human faeces containing antibiotic-resistant bacteria find their way into other environmental reservoirs like irrigation water, soil, untreated manure and slurry in the form of contaminated manure.

This manure is used as a form of fertiliser for organic food agricultural practices, thereby mediating the transfer of these pathogenic enteric bacteria back to humans through the contaminated fresh produce.

The pathogens can be transferred not just through manure, but also via the air, insects and birds, posing a greater risk to the growing organic food industry.

Pathogens colonise the plant phyllosphere (the above-ground surface of the plant) by initially attaching to the leaf surface using specialised structures, then surviving environmental stress by adapting their metabolism or entering dormant states using the various attachment structures these bacteria possess.

This plant-microbe interaction is an intricate and fascinating area of research, and critical for food safety.

FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES

Scientists face the hurdle of pinpointing a particular produce item as responsible for an outbreak before establishing the contamination pathway.

People who fall ill after consuming fresh organic produce frequently have difficulty recollecting their consumption of specific produce items, leading to difficulties in distinguishing between the various potential sources of contamination.

Moreover, produce is commonly ingested as a part of a composite food entity (such as a fruit salad or mixed leaf salad), thereby complicating the process of singling out a specific item as the origin of the infection.

While outbreaks have been varied across different nations, there doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern in food-borne epidemics linked to fresh produce.

Washing vegetables with water or other sterilising techniques have been inefficient in the removal of gut bacteria as the pathogens colonise the fruits and vegetables internally after attaching to their surfaces.

It is necessary to formulate rigourous standards for handling fresh food using materials made from natural agents to prevent contamination.

Some steps to mitigate the risks of food-borne pathogens can be implementing good agricultural practices from the perspective of not just food safety, but also preventing environmental degradation and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

For instance, organic manure must be sourced from organic inputs and composted using thermal and aerobic methods to kill pathogens and harmful bacteria.

Irrigation water should not be sourced from contaminated rivers or other polluted sources, and be free from contaminants.

Good handling practices also help reduce contamination risks in fields and during post-harvest handling.

Technologies that enable real-time monitoring of microbial contamination are critical for maintaining produce safety from farm to table.

Safeguarding plants from enteric pathogen contamination is essential to curb gastrointestinal illnesses, particularly as organic food gains popularity for their health benefits.

Maintaining pathogen-free produce ensures that consumers can enjoy organic food without compromising safety.