Abstract
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.
Highlights
Fresh produce has been implicated in a number of foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years, significantly impacting the health of consumers and the economic viability of fruit and vegetable farm operations [1, 2]
Of the remaining 71 farms, only 40 reported positive sales impacts due to their food safety improvements (Fig 1). This may be indicative of new investments based on food safety deficiencies revealed from participating in the Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training or in anticipation of future food safety regulatory requirements that have not impacted current sales (e.g., Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA))
Beyond a personal commitment to produce safety, farm size, market channel selection, and buyer requirements through third party audits (TPAs) significantly influence the financial impacts of food safety improvements to fruit and vegetable producers
Summary
Fresh produce has been implicated in a number of foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years, significantly impacting the health of consumers and the economic viability of fruit and vegetable farm operations [1, 2]. The continued occurrence of outbreaks and epidemiological data implicating fresh produce as a major cause of illnesses has caused a shift towards. Cost and returns of food safety improvements on produce farms role in the study design or the decision to submit the article for publication. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the policies or views of any sponsoring agencies
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