View Presentation Application

Beyond rules and regulations: food safety practices that all small produce farms need to understand

Sustainable Agriculture

Elena Rogers
Area Specialized Agent, Food Safety- Fresh Produce
North Carolina State University
Lenoir

Abstract

How can Extension agents and other organizations help small farms implement practices to safely harvest, pack and handle produce to minimize the risk of microbial contamination? This is the question the team made up by Extension agents, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association staff and the Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture Food Hub addressed during workshops offered in Western North Carolina in 2023. The team focused on developing programs that would be enticing for the farmers by limiting the time and topics offered. The workshops were planned using mixed methods, two hours of classroom instruction offered online or in person and two hours of hands-on demonstrations. During the instruction time, topics covered included regulatory requirements for produce farms, identifying practices that can lead to contamination and practices that farms should implement to handle produce in a sanitary manner. The hands-on activities focused on: soil amendments, setting up a packing area, how to safely wash produce, preventing cross contamination at harvest and post-harvest, identifying food contact surfaces and learning how to properly clean and sanitize these areas. Finally, we discussed sanitary and adequate transportation of produce. During the hands-on workshops, growers received instructions on how to implement practices and then had to complete the practices in small groups. Two pilot workshops were conducted in Watauga and Buncombe counties. A total of 48 growers participated in the events. Evaluations showed that all attendees prefer hands-on workshops and more than 80% said most of the content covered was new to them. Two hours of classroom instruction provided via zoom or in person (the day before the hands-on workshop) was adequate to cover foundations and explain risks that can lead to contamination of produce and foodborne illness. Feedback received stated that content covered was easy to use, informative, practical and that attendees felt empowered to ask for help if follow up was needed at the farm. As a result of this workshop, the team has identified additional food safety topics that are of interest to growers and refined the delivery of the content offered.

Authors: Elena Rogers, Richard Boylan, Meghan Baker, Kate Nicholas, Sarah Runkel, Jess McClelland
  1. Elena Rogers Area Specialized Agent, Food Safety- Fresh Produce, NC State University, North Carolina, 28645
  2. Richard Boylan Area Agent, Small Farms Management, NC Cooperative Extension, North Carolina, 28607
  3. Meghan Baker Extension Agent, Small Farms, NC Cooperative Extension, North Carolina, 28806
  4. Kate Nicholas Extension Associate, NC State University, North Carolina, 27695
  5. Sarah Runkel Local Produce Safety Coordinator, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, North Carolina, 27312
  6. Jess McClelland Produce Programs Coordinator, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, North Carolina, 28607