title: Belgian and Spanish consumption data and consumer handling practices for fresh fruits and vegetables useful for further microbiological and chemical exposure assessment.
abstract: A consumer survey was organized in Spain and Belgium to obtain consumption data and to gain insight into consumer handling practices for fresh vegetables consumed raw or minimally processed (i.e., heads of leafy greens, bell peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and precut and packed leafy greens) and fruits to be consumed without peeling (i.e., apples, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, other berries, fresh juices, and precut mixed fruit). This information can be used for microbiological and/or chemical food safety research. After extensive cleanup of rough databases for missing and extreme values and age correction, information from 583 respondents from Spain and 1,605 respondents from Belgium (18 to 65 years of age) was retained. Daily intake (grams per day) was calculated taking into account frequency and seasonality of consumption, and distributions were obtained that can be used in quantitative risk assessment for chemical hazards with chronic effects on human health. Data also were recalculated to obtain discrete distributions of consumption per portion and the corresponding frequency of consumption, which can be used in acute microbiological risk assessment or outbreak investigations. The ranked median daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was similar in Spain and Belgium: apple > strawberry > grapes > strawberries and raspberries; and tomatoes > leafy greens > bell peppers > fresh herbs. However, vegetable consumption was higher (in terms of both portion and frequency of consumption) in Spain than in Belgium, whereas the opposite was found for fruit consumption. Regarding consumer handling practices related to storage time and method, Belgian consumers less frequently stored their fresh produce in a refrigerator and did so for shorter times compared with Spanish consumers. Washing practices for lettuce heads and packed leafy greens also were different. The survey revealed differences between these two countries in consumption and consumer handling practices, which can have an impact on outcomes of future microbiological or chemical risk assessment studies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. liesbeth.jacxsens@ugent.be.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jacxsens
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Quality, Safety, and Bioactivity of Plant Foods, Department of Food Science and Technology, CEBAS-CSIC, P.O. Box 164, Espinardo, Murcia E-30100, Spain.
authors.forename: I Castro
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ibañez
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Quality, Safety, and Bioactivity of Plant Foods, Department of Food Science and Technology, CEBAS-CSIC, P.O. Box 164, Espinardo, Murcia E-30100, Spain; Cátedra Alimentos para la Salud, Departamento de Tecnología de la Alimentación y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Gómez-López
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: J Araujo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Quality, Safety, and Bioactivity of Plant Foods, Department of Food Science and Technology, CEBAS-CSIC, P.O. Box 164, Espinardo, Murcia E-30100, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allende
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyttendaele
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 blok A-2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Dietary Exposure Assessment Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Huybrechts
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D059022:Food Safety; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012034:Refrigeration; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*