Developing a Culture of Food Safety
While Americans enjoy one of the safest food systems in the world, the CDC estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die from foodborne illness each year.1 In recent years, fresh produce has been involved in between 30-60 outbreaks each year;2 has been attributed to 46% of all foodborne illness cases;3 and several produce commodities are included in the top ten riskiest foods regulated by the FDA.4
In addition to helping fresh produce farming operations meet their food safety requirements, the EFI Program offers new and different ways to engage farmworkers in identifying and addressing potential food safety issues.
Beyond consumer health and safety, there are many reasons for the fresh produce industry to think about food safety from a different perspective. In the worse case, recalls and outbreaks lead to death and illness, and in the best case they have major longterm financial repercussions, injure a brand or commodity category and erode consumer confidence. A food safety crisis can impact the sales of the entire category, not just one product, one grower or one growing region. The loss in revenue for growers and retailers is immediate, and the entire supply chain feels the impact, often for months to come.
Farmworkers Are On the Frontlines of Food Safety
EFI certification provides promising solutions in which workers in every department across the farming operation are trained to identify, mitigate and respond to issues that compromise food safety, including illness, presence of pests or animals, hygiene and sanitation. With the right training, farmworkers play a critical role in helping prevent a wide range of food pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria from contaminating crops.
“At every stop of the supply chain there is the risk of pathogens contaminating fruit or vegetables, and yet, there is a skilled workforce that is involved with the production and processing at each step,” said Kevin Boyle, EFI Director of New Product & Business Development. “If we can educate farmworkers around the protocols of food safety and allow them to use their skills, knowledge and experience, they will find places along that supply chain where there is risk and they will offer solutions to mitigate that risk.”
Putting the skills and knowledge of millions of farmworkers to use could presumably stop foodborne outbreaks in the field—before ever reaching a box, a store or a consumer’s plate. By incorporating workforce development and embracing a culture of food safety, the fresh produce industry can train and engage skilled employees who are the best defense against food safety disasters.
The Elements of a Culture of Food Safety
In addition to engaging workers in the day-to-day diligence of watching for food safety risks, the EFI Program helps promote food safety because it fosters a culture of continuous improvement and ensures a respectful workplace where concerns and ideas are brought to the forefront. EFI Leadership Team members and owner/operators report that after completing EFI workforce development training, employees feel a greater sense of ownership and inclusion. A lasting culture shift ensures that employees are engaged and feel free to speak up when they identify potential risks.
Farmworkers are often the first to spot problems that can make produce unsafe because they’re in the fields every day. For example, a worker may see that leftovers from workers’ lunches are attracting wild birds that might carry Salmonella and other pathogens.
Another farmworker may notice that contaminated runoff from a nearby animal farm is flowing into the canals used to irrigate lettuce. Yet another may recognize that break times aren’t long enough to eat lunch or visit distant bathrooms, which may force workers to cut corners on hygiene. EFI trains and empowers workers to collaborate to identify problems and suggest solutions. That can lead to safer produce.
Food safety requirements have tightened in recent decades, and the next step in this process is a commitment to social responsibility. You can’t have food that is safe if it was harvested or processed under non-socially responsible conditions. If you aren’t treating employees well and engaging them, what assurance will you have that the employees took care of the food safety from the ground up?
