Evaluating and Managing Potential Risks Associated with Top-Iced Produce

Top icing of produce is a practice used to preserve freshness and extend shelf life during transport and storage for some fresh produce items. However, there are concerns about possible food safety risks associated with this practice, especially regarding managing ice water and the potential for cross-contamination in distribution centers and warehouses. Food safety regulations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Preventive Controls for Human Food rule require distribution centers and warehouses to evaluate hazards and identify those that need a preventive control as defined in the rule. Here, we outline how to evaluate and manage risks associated with top icing. Each operation should assess potential hazards associated with the commodity, facility, and management practices to determine if they are adequately managed as Good Manufacturing Practices or require the implementation of preventive controls within a food safety plan. Facilities should assess risks of receiving, handling, and storing top-iced produce, including supplier programs, potential cross-contamination points, pallet stacking, and slotting procedures, among others. Risk-based measures can be implemented to reduce food safety concerns associated with top-iced produce. These measures include transitioning to iceless produce, maintaining cold temperatures, single stacking produce pallets, establishing dedicated wet rooms, implementing drainage systems, shrouding or adding liners under pallets, and implementing appropriate cleaning and sanitizing schedules.