Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training programs were developed to provide guidance to fruit and vegetable growers on how to reduce food safety risks on the farm. These programs have been enhanced over the years due, in part, to increasing buyer and regulatory requirements. However, the costs of implementing additional food safety practices has been identified as a primary barrier to long-term farm financial feasibility, particularly for smaller scale producers. A survey of past participants in New York State revealed that increasing food safety improvements facilitated by GAPs have not significantly impacted the size of farm operations or the types of crops grown. In terms of farm size, we show that both the financial costs and financial benefits of food safety improvements increase with farm size, but at decreasing rates. In so doing, relatively higher market sales gains per acre by smaller farms from additional food safety investments offset the relatively higher costs to them of their implementation. We also demonstrate that benefits of food safety improvements were significantly higher for farms that had third-party food safety audits and for those that market primarily through wholesale channels. The results should prove welcome by educators as they encourage participation by all scales of producers in GAPs trainings and for growers in understanding that food safety investments can support both reduced microbial risks and sales growth.

Produce auctions are local aggregation points that facilitate access for small-scale fruit, flower and vegetable farmers to wholesale buyers from a broader geography. Buyers purchase lots from multiple farmers to fulfill wholesale demand and then retail the product to the consumers. Sales are held multiple times per week to create a consistent supply for buyers and a regular market for the farmers. With over 70 produce auctions located in eastern North America, this is a growing trend of intermediated markets. Currently, there are six active produce auctions in New York State, with two more in planning stages. Produce auctions have a positive economic impact on the communities in which they are located, as well as on those who sell and/or buy at the auction. Community values inherent to these populations contribute to the success of produce auctions as an intermediated market. As the auction market channel continues to grow, buyer and consumer education on the benefits of local auctions is important. As these auctions are based in horse-and-buggy communities, extension education needs to be tailored to Amish and Mennonite populations. Auction houses, as well as farmers, will need to stay current with federal food safety regulations and market-based requirements to remain competitive.

The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule sets forth minimum standards for fruit and vegetable production in the U.S. One provision states that growers must not harvest dropped produce, as damage or ground contact may contaminate produce. An unpublished survey of 2020 food safety inspections conducted by the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety identified handling of dropped covered produce as a common misunderstanding and non-compliance issue among Northeast growers. In considering this provision’s on-farm practicality, this review was conducted to evaluate the risks associated with dropped and drooping produce to guide growers in making informed risk management decisions, and to answer the following questions: 1) What are the risk factors that influence transferability of pathogens from touching the ground to produce?; and 2) What are the risks associated with harvesting dropped or drooping produce covered under the Rule? A search of online databases found twelve relevant publications, which highlight moisture, contact time, and crop features as affecting contamination rates from a ground surface to a crop surface. Soil and mulch pose a differential risk, with bare soil generally presenting a lower risk than plastic mulch. The effects of other mulch types is unclear. Mulches may promote pathogen persistence in soil, though they may also protect produce from contaminated soils. These studies are limited in their scope and applicability and most do not directly address dropped produce. Future research is needed to clarify the varying effects of dropped and drooping produce, the impact of ground surface type on pathogen survivability and transfer, soil and crop features that facilitate contamination, and post-harvest risks of harvesting dropped or drooping produce. A comprehensive understanding will guide growers in implementing preventive measures and better managing risk in a way practicable to their farm's unique conditions.