Food Protection Trends - May/June 2018 - 156

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE

Lori F. Pivarnik,1* Nicole L. Richard,1
Diane Wright-Hirsch,2 Florence Becot,3
David Conner4 and Jason Parker3

Food Protection Trends, Vol 38, No. 3, p. 156-170
Copyright© 2018, International Association for Food Protection
6200 Aurora Ave., Suite 200W, Des Moines, IA 50322-2864

University of Rhode Island, Dept. of Fisheries, Animal
and Veterinary Science, Food Safety Outreach/Research
Program, 530 Liberty Lane, West Kingston, RI 02892, USA
2
University of Connecticut, New Haven County Extension
Center, 305 Skiff St., North Haven, CT 06473, USA
3
Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural
Resources, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
4
University of Vermont, Community Development and Applied
Economics, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
1

Small- and Medium-Scale New England Produce
Growers' Knowledge, Attitudes and Implementation
of On-farm Food Safety Practices
ABSTRACT
A survey was designed and administered to measure
knowledge of and attitudes toward on-farm food safety
among small- and medium-sized farms in the New England
(NE) region (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT). Two methods
of distribution were used, based on each state project
director's solicitation preference: an on-line survey
was distributed through E-mail, and a paper survey
was mailed. Survey responses were analyzed using
descriptive statistics, 1-way ANOVA and t-tests, using
SPSS software, and significance was reported at P <
.05. Respondents from small (n = 254) and medium (n =
47) farms had an overall correct knowledge score of 77
± 13%, related to on-farm food safety practices in the
areas of general food safety, water, health and hygiene,
planting/growing/harvesting, post-harvest, animal and
pest control, and recall/traceback. Knowledge scores
were significantly (P < .05) higher among respondents
who had received GAP training (80% vs. 73%) and had
implemented on-farm food safety practices (79% vs.
71%). The overall attitude score, based on a 5-point

Likert scale, was 3.5 ± 0.5, reflecting the importance of
on-farm food safety, trust in others to keep produce safe,
perception of local/smaller being safer, and perception
that their customers value food safety. On-farm food
safety had a positive attitude score (4.0 ± 0.9), while
trust in others had a low score (2.4 ± 0.8).

INTRODUCTION
In 1998, the United States Food and Drug Association
(FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
launched the produce safety initiative by developing a guide
based on basic principles and practices associated with minimizing microbial food safety hazards for fresh fruits and vegetables (44). These Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) have
served as the basis for voluntary on-farm food safety strategies
for many years. However, produce-related foodborne illnesses
have continued to contribute significantly to the overall outbreak and illness data.
Of the often reported Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates of 48 million cases of foodborne
illness, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths (33), annu-

*Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 401.874.2972; Fax: +1 401.874.2994; E-mail: lpivarnik@uri.edu

156

Food Protection Trends May/June

http://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/may-jun-18-pivarnik.pdf

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May/June 2018