FOOD
Attack of the
Killer Tomatoes? In an increasingly globalized food supply chain, RFID can prove invaluable not only in tracing the source of disease outbreaks but also in ensuring the freshest and healthiest produce reaches the end consumer
by Prof. David C. Wyld, Southeastern Louisiana University
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e all know that there are many health benefits to be gained by eating more fruits and vegetables. However, in recent years there have been an increasing number of food-borne disease outbreaks involving fresh produce, including: Hepatitis A in green onions, E. coli in spinach and lettuce, Shigella in parsley, Cyclospora in
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raspberries and Salmonella in cantaloupe and tomatoes. The title of this article was also the title of a 1978 movie, that later became a cult classic. During a recent salmonella outbreak in the United States, variations on the killer tomato title were incorporated into the headlines of a number of articles in major news outlets, as well as in many blog posts.
The first case of this most recent salmonella outbreak was reported in New Mexico on April 23. By mid-July, over one thousand cases of Saint Paul salmonella had been reported across 42 states and the District of Columbia, with more also reported in Canada and Mexico (the two largest export markets for U.S. tomato producers). The suspicion was that these foreign cases could be
traced to the same point of origin as the thousand-plus cases in the United States. However, today the question still remains as to what that origin exactly was. While fresh tomatoes were first identified as the culprit in this outbreak, federal health officials are now less and less certain that this is the case. In mid-July, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded its inquiry into a number of fresh produce items, including jalapeño and Serrano peppers, which could yet prove to be the actual source of the outbreak. Howard Seltzer, the national education advisor for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration s (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, recently commented that it was highly unlikely that a smoking gun would be found to definitively trace the source of the outbreak. Ian Williams, who heads the CDC s Outbreak Net Team, meanwhile remarked that: People are very used to the sort of CSI thing where you put it into a computer and out comes the answer. In reality, sometimes we don t figure things out. While the epidemiologists search for answers, the economic toll of the current salmonella outbreak on the tomato industry is unmistakable. Kathy Means, Vice President of the Produce Marketing Association, commented that the impact of the most recent salmonella scare has been that an entire industry has come to a standstill
and consumers are affected by the publicity. The losses for tomato farmers, processors, transporters and food producers during the crisis amounted to tens of millions of dollars a day, and some companies may not survive the impact of the outbreak.
cold chain, and in particular, the unfortunate specialty of the day - tomatoes. We have already seen pilot schemes in Australia and The Netherlands to test the viability of tracking tomato shipments. Both involved the incorporation of temperature sensing
RFID seems well suited to the aim of building safety into supply chain processes in the tomato industry Indeed, as we have seen with prior outbreaks linked to specific food items and brand names, such as recent E. coli outbreaks involving bagged spinach or scallions used by Taco Bell, sales volume and brand images can be very slow to rebound in the face of consumer fears and lasting media images. George Manolis, Senior Vice President of Operations for IES, a New Jersey-based supply chain software vendor, recently wrote in which he observed that: Agricultural supply chains are notoriously complex. Produce travels from the grower, to the processor, to the distributor, to the retailer or restaurant or even on to more complex supermarket distribution before it finally reaches your table. He went on to propose that: With all of the complexities inherent in the agricultural supply chain, the industry is ripe for the application of RFID technology. Thus, it is important to look at the prospects for RFID in the fresh produce
capabilities to track shipments in the produce cold chain to protect against the development of salmonella bacteria and identify suspect shipments. Today, the state of Hawaii is undertaking a significant RFID pilot, aimed at protecting both public health and the health of both its produce farmers, distributors and retailers. Tomatoes and salmonella Your mother told you to eat your fruits and veggies.
Salmonella facts There are approximately 1.4 million cases of salmonella infections reported annually in the United States, with 95% of these believed to be food-borne. The symptoms of salmonella include fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, and they appear in most patients within 72 hours of infection. Severe cases of salmonella occur mostly among infants and the elderly, along with those who suffer from immune deficiencies. In these cases, when the infection spreads beyond the intestines and permeates the body through the bloodstream, the results can be fatal. In such severe cases, antibiotic treatment can be highly effective, if the patient is diagnosed early enough.
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Food Processing tomato product consumption in the United States. Source Data: Economic Research Service, U.S.
When it came to tomatoes, one might well think that you are covering both, as people often wonder whether the tomato, in its many varieties, is a fruit or a vegetable. In fact, from a botanical standpoint, it is a fruit, but from a horticultural standpoint, it is a vegetable. Regardless, tomatoes do have tremendous health benefits. They are the most nutrient-rich fruit or vegetable, with high concentrations of Vitamins A and C, among others. Consumption of tomatoes has been linked to lowered risk of a variety of conditions including cancer, heart disease, degenerative eye diseases, osteoporosis, asthma and diabetes.
Department of Agriculture, April 2008
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According to figures from the United Fresh Produce Association, tomato farming is at least a $1.4 billion
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market in the United States, divided between two categories: freshmarket and processing tomatoes. Fresh-market tomatoes are hand-picked to preserve their pristine condition, while processing tomatoes are machine-harvested and used in a variety of products, from tomato sauces and juices to salsa and ketchup. Over time, tomato varieties have been bred specifically to serve the requirements of both markets. For example the processing variety contains up to ten percent more solid content to make it more usable as a base ingredient. Prices for fresh-market tomatoes also tend to be higher and more variable due to higher labor costs and greater market uncertainty. Most processing tomatoes are produced under contract between growers and tomato processors, and tomatoes are grown in all 50 states by recreational growers. However, due to climate and land conditions, commercial-scale growing occurs only in 20 states. California is by far the largest producer of tomatoes, accounting for almost a third of all fresh-market tomatoes and over 95% of processing tomatoes. California is the largest grower of processing tomatoes in the world and the United States is a net exporter of tomatoes and tomato-products, with approximately 6-7% of both the U.S fresh-market and processing tomato crops currently being exported.
Americans consume, on average, over 30 pounds of tomatoes and tomato products annually, making it the country s second most consumed fruit/vegetable. Over a quarter of all Americans report consuming fresh-market tomatoes on a daily basis, and their sales are almost evenly divided between the food service and consumer markets. Yet over 70% of fresh-market tomatoes are consumed in the home. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture s Economic Research Service, fresh-market tomato consumption has been on the rise amongst Americans due to the increasing variety of tomatoes on the market as well as an array of greenhouse and hydroponic tomatoes. The fresh-market varieties also benefit from what it terms the enduring popularity of salads and sandwiches in the American diet. For its part, processing tomato consumption has also risen steadily amongst Americans with the growing popularity of pizza, pasta and salsa. Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to salmonella bacteria because of their high water content, which can serve as a breeding ground if bacteria-laden water penetrates the soft skin of the tomato. Tomatoes can become contaminated at any point in the supply chain when exposed to tainted water, especially if placed in water that is far cooler or warmer than the ambient temperature, as this softens their skin.
Over the past decade, almost two thousand cases of food poisoning have been attributed to tomatoes in over a dozen food-borne outbreaks. In response, the FDA initiated the Tomato Safety Initiative (TSI), specifically designed to reduce the occurrence of tomato-related illnesses. The TSI is a joint effort between the FDA and the state health and agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida ‒ where the majority of tomato-related outbreaks have originated. The TSI examines tomato growers and processors best practices aimed at reducing the possible presence of salmonella. Both the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have petitioned the FDA to enact emergency regulations to require rapid traceback capabilities in the fresh produce market. The FDA is currently pushing for the authority to mandate safe handling rules ‒ what the agency terms preventative controls ‒ for the tomato industry. On the first of July, Florida became the first state to enforce tomato best practices for tomato growing and handling through its Department of Agriculture. Due to budget cuts, the agency s on-site inspections of food-processing facilities have actually declined by over fifty percent over the past five years. According to Dr. David Acheson, the FDA s food safety chief, while the agency is seeking to step-up inspections: The critical point is to
build safety upfront, not load up inspections at the end. Thus, with its capability to provide cold chain temperature monitoring and trackand-trace capabilities, RFID seems well suited to this aim
to do exactly that ‒ tracking cases and pallets of freshmarket tomatoes from the time they are picked in the field through to processing and delivery to stores and restaurants. The pilot initially
The Hawaii RFID pilot envisions a day when a cook can scan RFID tags and know how fresh the produce is of building safety into supply chain processes in the tomato industry.
The Hawaiian RFID pilot In 2007, four tourists and four Hawaiian residents were sickened in an E. coli outbreak. After months of investigation, Hawaiian officials pinpointed the cause to lettuce from a farm in Kauai, where the fields had been contaminated by storm water from a nearby cattle pasture. Partly in response to such public health concerns, and partly to protect its standing in the U.S. and world agricultural markets, Hawaii has embarked on the first stategovernment-led food traceability project. The Hawaii State Department of Agriculture, working with the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, initiated the planned threeyear RFID pilot in November 2007, looking at tracking a variety of fresh produce, including not just tomatoes, but also watermelons, strawberries, and onions. Officially named the Farm to Fork project, the program seeks
involves just four farms ranging in size from a small family farm on Hawaii s Big Island to a large, 2,000-acre operation on Oahu. And now, there already is a list of farms wishing to participate as the program expands. In the pilot, the state is providing the RFID labels and handheld readers, working in conjunction with technology partners including GlobeRanger, Lowry Computer Products, Motorola and Weyerhaeuser. The University of Hawaii is also working on the project, looking to develop biosensors to directly test produce for the presence of dangerous bacteria.
The Hawaiian RFID project involves leading downline participants in the freshmarket produce cold chain, including the state s largest wholesale produce distributor, Honolulu-based Armstrong Produce, and the 29store Foodland grocery store chain. Already, the system is demonstrating the benefit of tracking inventory of these bulk produce items more accurately at the warehouse and store level, reduc-
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Food Public health concerns and commercial standing proved high motivations for Hawaii to implement an RFID food-tracking pilot
Tomatoes are particularly vulnerable to Salmonella because of their high water
ing spoilage and improving the quality of produce at the point of sale by providing a more complete record of transit and storage time, both in refrigerated and ambient air conditions. The pilot will even test RFID at the restaurant level, envisioning a day when a cook in a restaurant can scan such tags and is able to review actual data regarding the warm and cold zones through which the produce has traveled. This way he would be able to know how fresh the produce is rather than relying on its looks and apparent conditions.
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John Ryan, the chief administrator for the Hawaii program, has proclaimed that:
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Our goal here is to develop a model that can hopefully be used by many other states. The agency feels that once the price point falls significantly enough, RFID will be adopted by many of the 5,000 farms in the Hawaiian Islands ‒ the vast majority of which are small in acreage and still family-owned. The agency also believes that as reader technology migrates into cell phones, RFID will be made even more accessible to small farmers and operators. The Hawaiian RFID pilot has even garnered an award from this year s Computerworld Honors Program. The Department of Agriculture envisions rapid expansion of the project as the price of RFID declines, making it more feasible for smaller farms and producers to implement the technology. As part of its outreach and educational efforts to promote RFID usage, the department is committed to establishing an RFID lab in Hawaii, accessible to both the business and government community. The RFID pilot is expected to cost the state $1.6 mil-
lion. It has already received over half a million dollars in grant funding and is currently seeking over a million dollars in additional funding. Alan Takemoto, who serves as the Executive Director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, recently commented that the project will help determine if RFID proves economically feasible for farmers. He believes that its use will also add value to Hawaiian produce and protect its viability in the face of disease threats such as the recent salmonella outbreak. Sandra Lee Kunimoto, who chairs the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, recently commented that with the food supply chain being increasingly globalized, it is becoming more and more important to have the capability to determine where food comes from and where it has been distributed. The agency believes that when RFID track and trace capabilities are fully operational, if an outbreak such as the recent salmonella incident were to occur, agricultural officials would be able to isolate and recall suspect boxes of produce in approximately an hour.
Analysis Given the circumstances of the most recent salmonella outbreak in the United States, the fresh produce market is indeed ‒ no pun intended ‒ ripe for RFID. Writing in Information Week, Mary Hayes Weier recently commented that: We ve got the technologies available to
know where our bulk food comes from, but apparently not enough incentive to figure out how to implement tech in a way that makes sense and gets buy-in from the supply chain. The state of Hawaii should be applauded for its innovative leadership amongst its agricultural officials, along with the cooperation of growers, distributors, and retailers who are making its pilot a significant test for RFID in the fresh market supply chain. As tomatoes have been historically plagued by salmonella problems, the application of RFID in the fresh-market tomato supply chain deserves even more pilots and studies on the U.S. mainland. However, attention should be directed across the fruit and vegetable supply chain, especially toward other items that have been associated with bacterial disease outbreaks, such as bagged spinach, carrots, and onions. In this instance, the economic issues may be even more important than the technological ones. Ultimately, with the costs involved, RFID may prove too much for small farmers to invest in alone, as they have a small profit margin to begin with, especially in the face of rising operational costs, including diesel, fertilizers, pesticides, insurance and labor. If there are state and/or federal mandates, this will be a moot point. However, the ability of government agencies ‒ and RFID technology providers ‒ to help defray and/or sub-
sidize the cost of implementing RFID will help push the use of the technology across the agricultural sector. Furthermore, if farmers and distributors can see real benefits from the traceability of products from farm to fork, then there will certainly be greater buy-in from the farming community. These
need to look at RFID, making the entire distribution system ‒ from the farm to the end consumer ‒ an exciting prospect for RFID technology vendors. The produce industry can benefit greatly from having both real-time business intelligence and the ability to prevent and control bacterial disease outbreaks ‒ and mitigate the impact
As reader technology migrates into cell phones, RFID will become even more accessible to small farmers benefits include improved business and operational intelligence and the ability to better pinpoint products for recall in the event of contamination. They will also benefit by gaining the ability to deliver fresh cut vegetables of improved quality and with longer shelf life to consumers and commercial buyers. This will prove beneficial to an entire state or region (as Hawaii has found through its quality branding effort), both in terms of protecting their markets and enhancing their market image.
on public health and on the industry by having better isolation and recall capabilities. Having such a system in place will bring ROI for the participants in the fresh-market supply chain, bolstering consumer confidence that the tomato ‒ or any other fruit or vegetable ‒ they are holding not only looks good, but will provide all the health benefits, without the risks, of consuming raw fruits and vegetables.
Pilots for the use of RFID in the fresh market produce cold chain are proving the possibilities offered by the technology
Hawaii s John Ryan recently observed: It is time for agriculture to move into the 21st century and start using tools and technologies that really help us achieve higher quality and food safety standards, well beyond what government inspections and audits are capable off. Our RFID-based traceability pilot is a giant leap in the right direction. Overall, the entire fresh produce market will
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