Food Safety at Farmers' Markets: A Knowledge Synthesis of Published Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 2033-2047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Young ◽  
Abhinand Thaivalappil ◽  
Danielle Reimer ◽  
Judy Greig
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
The United States ◽  
Knowledge Synthesis ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Published Research

ABSTRACT Farmers' markets are increasingly popular venues in North America for the sale of fresh produce and other foods. However, the nature of their operation can present possible food safety issues, challenges, and risks to consumers. A knowledge synthesis was conducted to identify, characterize, and summarize published research on the microbial food safety issues and implications associated with farmers' markets. A scoping review was conducted using the following steps: comprehensive search strategy, relevance screening of abstracts, and characterization of relevant articles. Two subsets of data were prioritized for more detailed systematic review (data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment) and meta-analysis: (i) studies comparing the microbial safety of foods from farmers' markets versus other sources and (ii) studies evaluating the use of food safety practices at farmers' markets. Overall, 83 relevant studies were identified. The majority of studies were published as journal articles (64%), used a cross-sectional design (81%), and were conducted in the United States (78%). Most studies (39%; n = 32) investigated stakeholder, mostly consumer (n = 22), attitudes toward food safety at farmers' markets. Limited but heterogeneous evidence indicated a higher prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in chicken meat from farmers' markets versus other retail sources, but there was no difference in the microbial contamination of fresh produce. Studies evaluating the use of food safety practices at farmers' markets identified some gaps; for example, the average prevalence of vendor hand washing was 4% (95% confidence interval: 0 to 11%; I2 = 27%; n = 5 studies). Twelve foodborne outbreaks and case reports were identified, resulting in a total of 411 illnesses, 38 hospitalizations, and two deaths from 1994 to 2016. Only five intervention studies were identified. Key knowledge gaps and areas warranting future research, training, and education are highlighted and discussed.

scholarly journals The Economic, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Farmers Markets: Recent Evidence from the US

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3423
Author(s):  
Phillip Warsaw ◽  
Steven Archambault ◽  
Arden He ◽  
Stacy Miller
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Food ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Fresh Food

Farmers markets are regular, recurring gatherings at a common facility or area where farmers and ranchers directly sell a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other locally grown farm products to consumers. Markets rebuild and maintain local and regional food systems, leading to an outsized impact on the food system relative to their share of produce sales. Previous research has demonstrated the multifaceted impacts that farmers markets have on the communities, particularly economically. Recent scholarship in the United States has expanded inquiry into social impacts that markets have on communities, including improving access to fresh food products and increasing awareness of the sustainable agricultural practices adopted by producers, as well developing tools for producers and market stakeholders to measure their impact on both producers and communities. This paper reviews the recent scholarship on farmers markets to identify recent trends and synthesizes the current evidence describing the ways in which farmers markets contribute to the wellbeing of their communities, as well as identifying areas for additional future research.

scholarly journals Comanaging fresh produce for nature conservation and food safety

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (35) ◽  
pp. 11126-11131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Karp ◽  
Sasha Gennet ◽  
Christopher Kilonzo ◽  
Melissa Partyka ◽  
Nicolas Chaumont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Fresh Produce ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
The United States ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Central Coast ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Vegetation Removal ◽  
Pathogen Prevalence ◽  
Coast Region

In 2006, a deadly Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in bagged spinach was traced to California’s Central Coast region, where >70% of the salad vegetables sold in the United States are produced. Although no definitive cause for the outbreak could be determined, wildlife was implicated as a disease vector. Growers were subsequently pressured to minimize the intrusion of wildlife onto their farm fields by removing surrounding noncrop vegetation. How vegetation removal actually affects foodborne pathogens remains unknown, however. We combined a fine-scale land use map with three datasets comprising ∼250,000 enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), generic E. coli, and Salmonella tests in produce, irrigation water, and rodents to quantify whether seminatural vegetation surrounding farmland is associated with foodborne pathogen prevalence in California’s Central Coast region. We found that EHEC in fresh produce increased by more than an order of magnitude from 2007 to 2013, despite extensive vegetation clearing at farm field margins. Furthermore, although EHEC prevalence in produce was highest on farms near areas suitable for livestock grazing, we found no evidence of increased EHEC, generic E. coli, or Salmonella near nongrazed, seminatural areas. Rather, pathogen prevalence increased the most on farms where noncrop vegetation was removed, calling into question reforms that promote vegetation removal to improve food safety. These results suggest a path forward for comanaging fresh produce farms for food safety and environmental quality, as federal food safety reforms spread across ∼4.5 M acres of US farmland.

Foodborne Illness: Perceptions, Experience, and Preventive Behaviors in the United States

1995 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1405-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
SARA B. FEIN ◽  
C. -T. JORDAN LIN ◽  
ALAN S. LEVY
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Illness Perceptions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
College Education ◽  
Latency Period ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Foodborne Disease ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
A Minor

Data from national telephone surveys conducted in 1988 and 1993 were used to describe consumer perceptions of foodborne illness. The 1993 data were also used to assess the relationship between the perception that a foodborne illness had recently been experienced and awareness, concern, knowledge, and behavior related to food safety. Respondents described foodborne disease primarily as a minor illness without fever that occurs within a day of eating a contaminated food prepared in a restaurant. However, several common pathogens have a latency period longer than a day, and experts on foodborne disease estimate that most cases of foodborne illness originate from foods prepared at home. In both surveys, people 18 to 39 years of age were more likely than those in other age groups to believe they had experienced a foodborne illness. In 1993, people with at least some college education were more likely to believe they had experienced foodborne illness than were people with less education. People who believed they had experienced foodborne illness had greater awareness of foodborne microbes and concern about food safety issues, were more likely to eat raw protein foods from animals, and were less likely to practice safe food handling than were those who did not perceive that they had experienced such an illness.

scholarly journals Melons: Safe Handling Practices for Consumers

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Simonne
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Safe Handling ◽  
Fact Sheet ◽  
Handling Practices ◽  
Honeydew Melon

Since most of us buy melons at the store or farmers market, it is easy to forget that most melons are grown on the ground. Watermelons, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon are the most popular varieties of melons in the United States. Because they are exposed to pests and microorganisms from dirt, it is very important to apply the best food safety practices before enjoying them. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Amy Simonne, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, June 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy488

Going “Beyond the Surface” in an App-Based Group: A Heuristic Inquiry

2020 ◽  
pp. 002216782097450
Author(s):  
Natalie F. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Group Process ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
The United States ◽  
Heuristic Inquiry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group Members

Six co-researchers conducted a heuristic inquiry of a group experience composed of hundreds of video messages, posted consistently over 4 months, via the Marco Polo smartphone application, to explore the universal implications associated with this uniquely intimate experience. This diverse, artist-led group was composed of five individuals who identify as female and one individual who identifies as non-binary, of African and African American descent, from three states in the United States, with varying levels of income and education. According to the founder, the purpose of the group was to cultivate a space for “wellness through creativity, connection, and collaboration,” primarily for herself, but also for her closest friends. A formal study was necessary to illuminate the salient themes and generate findings from this serendipitous group process. Three themes emerged: (a) the group changed over time, in alignment with long-established theories of group work (i.e., forming, storming, norming, performing, and mourning/adjourning); (b) group members navigated conflict within the group and in dyads outside of the larger group; (c) and members experienced meaningful benefits and impacts as a result of participation, which supports the growing research on online mental health support groups. Implications for future research, training, and practice are provided.

Consumer-Reported Handling of Raw Poultry Products at Home: Results from a National Survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATHERINE M. KOSA ◽  
SHERYL C. CATES ◽  
SAMANTHA BRADLEY ◽  
EDGAR CHAMBERS ◽  
SANDRIA GODWIN
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Poultry Products ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Raw Poultry ◽  
At Home

Salmonella and Campylobacter cause an estimated combined total of 1.8 million foodborne infections each year in the United States. Most cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry or with cross-contamination. Between 1998 and 2008, 20% of Salmonella and 16% of Campylobacter foodborne disease outbreaks were associated with food prepared inside the home. A nationally representative Web survey of U.S. adult grocery shoppers (n = 1,504) was conducted to estimate the percentage of consumers who follow recommended food safety practices when handling raw poultry at home. The survey results identified areas of low adherence to current recommended food safety practices: not washing raw poultry before cooking, proper refrigerator storage of raw poultry, use of a food thermometer to determine doneness, and proper thawing of raw poultry in cold water. Nearly 70% of consumers reported washing or rinsing raw poultry before cooking it, a potentially unsafe practice because “splashing” of contaminated water may lead to the transfer of pathogens to other foods and other kitchen surfaces. Only 17.5% of consumers reported correctly storing raw poultry in the refrigerator. Sixty-two percent of consumers own a food thermometer, and of these, 26% or fewer reported using one to check the internal temperature of smaller cuts of poultry and ground poultry. Only 11% of consumers who thaw raw poultry in cold water reported doing so correctly. The study results, coupled with other research findings, will inform the development of science-based consumer education materials that can help reduce foodborne illness from Salmonella and Campylobacter.

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