FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAK SIMULATION WORKSHOP

I NTRODUCTIONS

E XPECTATIONS Everyone will be working together in their respective groups Each group will have different issues to address and deal with Overall the goal is for the group to work together through a crisis situation

Y OU WILL BE WORKING TOGETHER AND ROLE PLAYING Groups: Producers Commodity associations Other participants: Media Regulators

PRODUCERS

PRODUCER GROUP 1: TARHEEL ACRES GROWERS Conventional, organic, transition organic Piedmont Large packing facility Pack for neighboring farms Mainly wholesale, Carrboro Farmers’ Market Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries

P RODUCER GROUP 2: P LOTT H OUND C REEK F ARMS Small-ish farmer Conventional production mainly Newton Grove Direct market foodservice, wholesale and farm stand Blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries

P RODUCER GROUP 3: R ISING S UN F ARMS Conventional Medium size farm Goldsboro Mainly wholesale, Raleigh Farmers’ Market Strawberries and blueberries Chicken houses adjacent to field

P RODUCER GROUP 4: S TRAWBERRIES -R- U S Small farm U-pick and farmstand Along I-95 Eastern NC Strawberries

COMMODITY ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS NC Strawberry Association NC Blueberry Council, Inc NC Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association United Fresh Produce Association

M EDIA -- O UR JOURNALISTIC TEAM News and Observer Charlotte Observer CNN Perez Hilton Late night television WRAL Twitter Google alerts

NOVEMBER 10, PRESS RELEASE NC Department of Health says “There are an increased number of illnesses which are linked together with a genetic fingerprint” Hepatitis A 24 illnesses in 14 NC counties (all around state) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been dispatched

H EPATITIS A Transmitted by fecal- oral route Human sewage Low infectious dose Incubation period 2-6 weeks Permanent immunity, vaccine available Very resistant to chemicals Hepatitis A associated with consumption of frozen strawberries – Michigan, 1997 Hepatitis A associated with consumption of frozen strawberries – Georgia and Montana, 1990

N OVEMBER 12, M ORE INFORMATION TRICKLES OUT Outbreak in NC, and sporadic cases in VT, OR, and WA -- all genetic matches NC health officials have warned residents not to eat fresh strawberries because sufferers reported having eaten them OR Department of Health says “may be associated with strawberries” National conference call

NOVEMBER 16, 2011 HEPATITIS A -- NC HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS IT’S STRAWBERRIES What do you do? Who do you call? What kind of things do you do to assess your system? What do you release to the media?

N OVEMBER 17, P RESS CONFERENCE Announced that it is strawberry-linked: Mike Taylor, FDA food safety czar "It is always an upset to the industry when we have to put consumer advice out like this, but... we don't know which strawberries are causing the illnesses; and we don't want to wait until we find out and then learn that people were getting sick.”

WHAT ELSE HAPPENS? Media attention Blogs, Twitter, and Youtube Increased testing of strawberries Buyer questions Local demand? Strawberry sales plummet

B IG T OWN C ATERERS Large company Made fruit salad and berry covered desserts Produce sourced by Rising Sun Farms Plott Hound Creek Farm

D AMAGE C ONTROL Strawberries-R-Us Increase in traffic on farm Consumers talking about how the outbreak scares them from purchasing at large stores Tarheel Acres Growers Contact neighboring farms to confirm they are using good agricultural practices Increase in demand for berries at Farmer’s market – sell out of berries every weekend

I NDUSTRY INVESTIGATIONS -- L OOKING FOR THE SOURCE Discuss your distribution chain How do you prove it is not your farm? Documentation? Where has your product gone? Traceability?

N OVEMBER 22, O UTBREAK HAS BEEN TRACED TO P LOTT H OUND C REEK F ARMS

C LASS I R ECALL Class I is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death

N OVEMBER 22, R ECALL How do you get the product back? Where did it go? What documentation do you need ? Other groups roles in this?

FDA, CONDUCTING THE INVESTIGATION, ASKS FOR: Flow charts Lab reports HACCP/SSOP records Production records Distribution records

ON-FARM INVESTIGATION Where they might start looking on-farm Water Worker health and hygiene Wildlife

NOVEMBER 24, MORE INFO ABOUT THE IMPLICATED SITE ARISES… Septic tank issues on farm Direct to store Implicated product went to consumers

WINTER RECOVERY Outbreak is over What’s next? Who is affected? What needs to be done to get things back on track?

SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? Be prepared for outbreaks Have a plan to manage a crisis Be available Monitor what people are saying about industry/products Use non-print methods Take control of the story