August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Food safety at farmers‘markets Dr. Ben Chapman Dr. Chris Gunter Diane Ducharme Dr. Lee-Ann Jaykus Dr. Trevor Phister Allison Smathers North Carolina State University, NC Cooperative Extension August 28, 2012

Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Increasing demand and popularity of farmers' markets USDA- AMS, 2011

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Food safety culture It is a set of shared attitudes, values and beliefs around food safety o Production/sources o Handling/storage o Preparation You can have a good food safety culture or a bad one Powell, D.A., Jacob, C.J., and Chapman, B.J Enhancing food safety culture to reduce rates of foodborne illness. Food Control, 22:

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Farmers' market outbreaks In 2000, Escherichia coli O157:H7 linked to samples in Fort Collins, CO o 14 illnesses, two hospitalizations In 2010, Salmonella Newport linked to guacamole, salsa and uncooked tamales in east-central Iowa o 44 illnesses In 2011, Escherichia coli O157:H7 linked to strawberries sold at multiple farm stands and farmers' markets in Oregon o One death, 15 illnesses, and seven hospitalizations Oregon Health Authority, 2011; Iowa Department of Public Health, 2010; Bridges, 2000

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Message from public health Avoid strawberries sold at farmers’ markets and roadside stands in Oregon

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Purpose of project To use a risk-based approach to reduce the risks of pathogen contamination and increase positive food safety culture in the farmers’ markets of North Carolina

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Risk = probability x consequence Norovirus vs. botulism

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Format for the project Evaluate needs by observing current practices Go to the literature and look for hazards/risks Work with an advisory team to oversee education format, style and pragmatism

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Infrastructure and practices collected through secret shopper observations o Trained 20 secret shoppers o Assessed current food safety practices and knowledge 37 farmers’ markets 160 vendors

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Areas where focus was needed Handwashing o Infrastructure and practices Sampling o Preventative controls and tools Hazard identification How to create a market system that supports food safety as a prime value

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Delivery Train NC Cooperative Extension field faculty/extension agents Those agents have delivered to over 700 market vendors and managers across the state

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Impacts Selected 36 farmers markets to track in 2011 and 2012 o Outside handwashing stations increased from 1 to 9 o 4 markets built/brought restrooms o Decrease of hand santizer (a good thing) o 8% increase in use of one-use gloves

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum "Contrary to the opinion stated by some, a personal relationship and warm feelings toward the vendor is not a reliable indicator of cleanliness, nor does it impart anti- bacterial properties.” -Hal Prince, ME Dept of Agriculture Bangor Daily News, Dec. 2, 2011

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum ncgoodfarmersmarketpractices.com

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Special thank yous to Allison Smathers, MS student Secret shoppers Advisory team NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

August 28, 2012 Commissioner’s Food Safety Forum Dr. Ben Chapman Follow me on ncgoodfarmersmarketpractices.com