Food safety perceptions and practices of selected UK fresh produce farms

Abstract

Introduction Evidence to date suggests that the incidence of foodborne outbreaks from the UK fresh produce sector is very low. It is interesting to note how the fresh produce farms practice their pre-harvest activities to ensure that safe produce enter the food chain. Objective The study aims to determine the perceptions of fresh produce farmers towards farm food safety. The current farm food safety practices among voluntary participating farms are also identified and discussed.Methods A survey of current farm food safety perceptions (n = 44 fresh produce farms) and practices were conducted. Twelve fresh produce farms (out of the 44) participated in detailed discussions relating to their current farm food safety practices. Results The present study is one of the few research works that focused on farm food safety management practices. The findings in this study suggested that the vast majority of the participating fresh produce growers generally have good perceptions and practices in farm food safety. Conclusion This reiterates the fact that the studied farms practiced good agricultural practices which lead to continuous safety and quality assurance of the crops.

The Relationship between Environmental Characteristics and Risk Management Practices on Produce Farms: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Further, only one study reported that data collectors were trained before the data collection [60]. Most studies (n = 29) did not have an adequate sample size except for two DA studies [32,33] and five IA studies [37,46,49,52,57]. Only two DA studies and three MM studies used appropriate sampling procedures, but most IA studies (n = 18) used appropriate sampling procedures.…”

“…Studies that assessed agricultural water (n = 24) mainly focused on water source (n = 20) and/or water treatment methods (n = 4). For example, Soon (2012) reported that 9 of 12 farms in their study did not treat surface water and well water prior to irrigation [49], but most farms (75% of 12 farms) tested their irrigation water at least annually. On one peach farm, Duvenage and Korsten (2017) reported the farm used untreated or untested water, reportedly mitigating the risk of microbial contamination by using drip irrigation systems [59].…”

“…The characteristics of cleaning and sanitization of equipment and tools were reported in 11 studies. The following cleaning agents were reported in four studies: soap, vinegar, mild detergent, bleach solution, sulfur/citric solution, ammonia, steam, and/or water [43,49,50,61]. Inadequate sanitizing practices for equipment and tools after cleaning were also reported in four studies [32,33,43,61].…”

“…According to Cohen and colleagues (2005), only 28% of 127 farms used bleach or a sanitizing solution, and most used soap with water (35%) or water alone (37%) [50]. In addition, less than 40% of farms sanitized the equipment, tools, and/or food-contact surfaces [43,49,61]. It was also reported that 33% of 44 farms used the same equipment to haul crops as well as handle garbage and waste [49].…”

“…In addition, less than 40% of farms sanitized the equipment, tools, and/or food-contact surfaces [43,49,61]. It was also reported that 33% of 44 farms used the same equipment to haul crops as well as handle garbage and waste [49]. Five study authors reported that equipment and tools were hygienically designed.…”