Naresh Devarajan, University of California, Davis
Daniel L. Weller, University of Rochester Medical Center
Matthew Jones, Cascade Agroecology
Aiko D. Adell, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida
Achyut Adhikari, Louisiana State University
Ana Allende, CSIC - Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS)
Nicole L. Arnold, The Ohio State University
Patrick Baur, The University of Rhode Island
Sarah M. Beno, Birmingham Southern College
Donna Clements, Cornell University
Elissa M. Olimpi, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Faith Critzer, University of Georgia
Hyatt Green, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Lisa Gorski, USDA ARS Western Regional Research Center (WRRC)
Angela Ferelli Gruber, The Acheson Group
Jasna Kovac, Pennsylvania State University
Jeffery McGarvey, USDA ARS Western Regional Research Center (WRRC)
Claire M. Murphy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Sarah I. Murphy, Cornell University
Nora Navarro-Gonzalez, Biologie Epidémiologie et Analyse de Risque en Santé Animale
Jeb P. Owen, Washington State University Pullman
Alda F.A. Pires, School of Veterinary Medicine
Nicole Richard, The University of Rhode Island
Sandipan Samaddar, University of California, Davis
Radomir Schmidt, University of California, Davis
Kate Scow, University of California, Davis
Nikki W. Shariat, University of Georgia
Olivia M. Smith, Michigan State University
Austin R. Spence, University of California, Davis
Don Stoeckel, University of Georgia
Thao D.H. Tran, University of California, Davis
Gretchen Wall, United Fresh Produce Association
Daniel S. Karp, University of California, Davis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Abstract

Consumption of contaminated produce remains a leading cause of foodborne illness. Increasingly, growers are altering agricultural practices and farm environments to manage food-safety hazards, but these changes often result in substantial economic, social, and environmental costs. Here, we present a comprehensive evidence synthesis evaluating the efficacy of soil, non-crop vegetation, animal, landscape, and irrigation water management strategies aimed at reducing produce-safety risk in North America. We systematically summarized findings from 78 peer-reviewed papers on the effect of 21 management practices on the prevalence, abundance, or survival of four foodborne pathogens (i.e., E. coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Campylobacter spp.), resulting in 113 summaries. We then organized a 30-member expert panel, who used these summaries to evaluate the impact of each practice on food-safety outcomes. While more than half of the practices were too understudied to confidently evaluate their impact on food safety, the panel did identify several practices that were associated with reduced preharvest food-safety risks, including not using raw manure, separating crop and livestock production, and choosing low-risk irrigation sources. The panel also identified practices that appear ineffective at reducing food-safety risks, such as the removal of non-crop vegetation. Overall, these findings provide insights into the food-safety impacts of agricultural and land management practices that growers, auditors, and extension personnel can use to co-manage produce preharvest environments for food safety and other aims.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

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