A scoping study characterizing prevalence, risk factor and intervention research, published between 1990 and 2010, for microbial hazards in leafy green vegetables

► Scoping is effective tool to map data for rigorous systematic review-meta-analysis. ► Available research on pathogens in LGV was characterized and assessed for quality. ► 70% of studies was on lettuce and 47% on Escherichia coli. ► 80% of published data not strong or suitable for policy and decision making. ► Well designed and reported intervention studies in real-life conditions lacking.