The survival of Campylobacter sp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 Inoculated onto Kale During Refrigerated Storage

Campylobacter and pathogenic Escherichia coli illnesses are attributed to consumption of fresh produce. From 2018-2021 there were eleven multistate outbreaks investigated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were linked to leafy greens. The leafy green, kale, is increasingly consumed raw. Without cooking, there is no heat kill step to remove harmful pathogens from raw kale. There are several places along the supply chain that leafy greens, such as kale, can become contaminated with E. coli and Campylobacter. Contamination can occur at the farm during growth, during harvest, and after harvest. In comparison to other leafy greens kale has a longer shelf life often exceeding 15 days under proper storage conditions