Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 337

Consumption Rule, also called the Produce Safety Rule
(21 CFR 112) (25). In addition, many pecan shellers are
excluded from the requirements of the Current Good
Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based
Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule (21 CFR
117) (26). Although this may be the case, outbreaks of
salmonellosis have been associated with similarly handled
tree nuts, such as almonds and pistachios, resulting in
significant changes in food safety requirements for these
commodities (9, 10, 13). Although pecans have not been
implicated in any significant outbreaks of foodborne illness,
the similarities in production practices between pecans and
other previously implicated nuts should be considered as
potential risk factors.
Pecans, like almonds and pistachios, are harvested by
mechanically shaking the trees and collecting fallen nuts from
the ground. This contact with the ground could provide a
potential route of initial pathogen contamination, especially
in orchards that use silviculture techniques that include
grazing animals throughout the orchard (11). In-shell nuts
are then conditioned by soaking in water to facilitate cracking
efficiency, which results in larger kernel pieces (12). Without
appropriate water management, this conditioning step
could exacerbate contamination in the field by facilitating
cross-contamination to previously uncontaminated pecans
soaking in the water. Following the conditioning step, nuts
are cracked and the shells are removed before packaging
(12). As with most commodities, the introduction of
foodborne hazards may occur at multiple stages throughout
production and handling. Although pecans may be excluded
from certain federal mandates such as the Produce Safety
Rule and the Preventative Controls for Human Food Rule,
some states, such as Oklahoma, have certain requirements for
the handling and shelling of pecans due to the potential for
contamination during harvest (19).
A survey was created and disseminated to North American
pecan shellers to determine frequently implemented food
safety practices used by pecan shellers. These data provide
insight into typical practices throughout the industry.
This information can provide educators and commodity
associations with information related to knowledge gaps
that may be used to guide the development of resources
targeting pecan shellers. In addition, this survey may be used
to guide researchers to develop more effective food safety
interventions that are in-line with current industry practice.
METHODS
An online survey was developed and administered
through Qualtrics survey software, (version July 2022-
January 2023, Qualtrics, Seattle, WA). The survey received
blanket approval as an Agricultural and Natural Resources
Extension Evaluation Tool for use with human participants
by the University of Georgia Institutional Review Board,
PROJECT00000044.
The survey was developed by food safety and agricultural
economic specialists, with the aim to evaluate food safety
practices in pecan shelling facilities in North America.
Questions were composed to address shelling operation
demographics, pecan handling, and food safety practices.
Demographic questions included location (state or
country), operation size (annual shelling volume), number
of employees, and revenue from pecan shelling operations.
Questions regarding pecan handling and food safety practices
included food safety plans, sanitation practices, pecan
conditioning steps, water use, and treatment/kill-step of
pecans (Supplemental 1). The survey was designed with
the " skip logic " function that directed respondents to or
past specific questions based on the answers of a previous
question to obtain more information regarding operational
practices that may not occur at all operations. The survey
consisted of 24 questions in total. The survey was reviewed
by 10 external food safety and agricultural economic
specialists not involved in this publication to ensure that the
questions and survey structure were adequately organized to
measure the food safety practices and potential needs.
A survey respondent was required to meet the following
inclusion criteria: (1) self-identifies as a pecan sheller, (2)
owns/works at a pecan shelling entity located in North
America, and (3) has a managerial role. As acknowledged
in the introduction of the Qualtrics survey, only one survey
response per pecan shelling entity was allowed. To ensure
duplicate responses were not submitted, the " prevent
multiple submissions " function was used when distributing
the survey through Qualtrics.
Responses were collected on 5 September 2022 until 11
January 2023. To date, a U.S. pecan sheller directory does
not exist; as such, various North American pecan-affiliated
lists and communications were used to reach the target
population. The survey was distributed through direct
communication, member newsletters, and listservs with
the National Pecan Shellers Association, the Georgia Pecan
Growers Association, Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association,
North Carolina Pecan Growers Association, Mississippi
Pecan Growers Association, Western Pecan Growers
Association, Texas Pecan Growers Association, and the
Louisiana Pecan Growers Association. The survey was made
available by the provided link or QR code. Although the
survey was drafted to focus on shellers located in the United
States or those that contribute to the U.S. pecan market,
the intent was to access the most pecan shelling facilities in
North America so responses from Mexico were included in
the analysis. Partially completed surveys were omitted from
the results.
Incomplete surveys were removed before statistical
analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted using RStudio
version 4.2.3. Descriptive statistics were used to describe
respondent demographics (e.g., size of packing operations,
revenues) and responses to survey questions. Ranking
September/October Food Protection Trends 337

Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024

Food Safety Needs Assessment for North American Pecan Shellers
Identifying Training Needs in Washington through Insights from Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training
Hazard versus Risk in Perceptions of Food Safety: The Case of Titanium Dioxide
Peroxyacetic Acid and Chlorine Reduce Escherichia coli in Agricultural Surface Water for Potential Produce Postharvest Uses
Beyond the Bio Jeffrey LeJeune
PDG Highlight Food Packaging
General Interest Paper Promoting Food Safety in the Informal Markets of Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Need for a Rethink
Industry Products
Coming Events
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Cover1
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Cover2
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 329
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 330
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 331
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 332
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 333
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 334
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 335
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Food Safety Needs Assessment for North American Pecan Shellers
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 337
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 338
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 339
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 340
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 341
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 342
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 343
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Identifying Training Needs in Washington through Insights from Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 345
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 346
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 347
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 348
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 349
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 350
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Hazard versus Risk in Perceptions of Food Safety: The Case of Titanium Dioxide
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 352
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 353
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 354
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 355
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 356
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 357
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 358
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Peroxyacetic Acid and Chlorine Reduce Escherichia coli in Agricultural Surface Water for Potential Produce Postharvest Uses
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 360
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 361
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 362
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 363
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 364
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 365
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 366
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 367
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 368
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 369
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Beyond the Bio Jeffrey LeJeune
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 371
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 372
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - PDG Highlight Food Packaging
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 374
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 375
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - General Interest Paper Promoting Food Safety in the Informal Markets of Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Need for a Rethink
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 377
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 378
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 379
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 380
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 381
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 382
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 383
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Industry Products
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 385
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 386
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 387
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 388
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 389
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 390
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - 391
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Coming Events
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Cover3
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2024 - Cover4
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