Focusing food safety training based on current grower practices and farm scale

Abstract

Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with produce have prompted national attention on grower practices and produce handling. In 1998, we conducted a survey of New York fruit and vegetable growers to compare current management practices related to manure, compost and on-farm water quality with federal guidelines to reduce food safety risk. We were able to identify areas requiring additional educational effort, particularly for small farms. The respondents (213 total) represented 36% of the produce acreage in the state and many (54%) farmed less than 100 acres (40 ha). While most growers (60% to 95%) were able to identify meat and fruit as associated outbreaks, fewer (23% to 36%) identified outbreaks associated with vegetables. Of the 76 respondents (36% of total) who applied manure or compost, most (88%) used practices that would reduce food safety risks based on federal guidelines. However, only 52% of growers identified these practices as reducing food safety risk. Most growers used surface water for irrigation (76%), but few reported testing water quality. However, we do not have standards for surface water quality or cost-effective remediation strategies. Testing ground water for bacteria was more frequently reported by organic growers (P < 0.01). Growers commonly washed produce on farm (92%) but rarely added sanitizers to this water (16%). General food safety training should increase emphasis on past outbreaks associated with produce, manure management practices that reduce risks so that growers can more accurately report on-farm efforts and record keeping of manure and water management for traceback purposes. Small farms specifically required additional training in three key areas: record keeping of manure applications, composting processes to achieve pathogen kill, and sanitation of wash water. Organically certified farms were more frequently in compliance with federal food safety guidelines for manure and water quality management than conventional growers (P < 0.05), but required additional training in proper composting to kill pathogens. These results have been incorporated into our current food safety extension efforts, which focus on design of self-assessment tools for small farms, development of bilingual food safety training materials, and dissemination of food safety presentations and resources for extension and other agricultural agencies to use in training programs.