When someone gets sick from eating a cantaloupe or a head of lettuce, it is quick to hit the news and social media. This is a concern to consumers and producers alike. For the consumer it elicits fears of illness or death. For the producer, thoughts tend towards legal action and bankruptcy. Neither is good. Though the US agriculture industry boasts one of the safest food supplies in the world, more can be done.

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and agents in Letcher County have worked to provide food-safety workshops, known as Produce Best Practices Trainings, to producers who sell fruits and vegetables at area farmers markets. These efforts are meant to ensure that growers know the main sources of food-borne illness and tangible steps they can take to reduce the risk to themselves and their customers.

The ANR and FCS agents have worked as a team to offer a number of workshops and have trained every producer that sells at the market (65 producers). Participants reported that they were unaware that many pathogens require days or even weeks before showing symptoms. They also voiced that they did not previously know the importance of keeping pets out of the field or of providing hand-washing stations to workers in the field. Collectively the group voiced that they intended to keep records on preventative measures and planned to take steps to limit contamination potential. This should lead to a safer experience for consumers of local produce.