Farmer’s Markets are a breeding group for food borne illnesses. Think of how many people touch those peaches or how long that hand milled cream has been sitting in the sun! You should never, ever, frequent these places!
Or so someone would think if they glanced at Dr. Marc. F Bellemare’s initial research and New York Times article published on this research. In a recent presentation at the University of Georgia, Dr. Bellemare went through his results in depth to explain what he actually found.
Over the past 20 years, farmers markets in the United States have been on the rise, with a five-fold increase. The food sold at these markets typically isn’t regulated like the food bought in grocery stores and convenience markets and fresh produce has been a growing cause of food-borne illnesses like Campylobacter.
Dr. Bellemare and his research team set out to research the relationship between farmer’s market and food borne illness rates across the nation. They began by looking at a survey study by Lusk et. al, in which 45% of participants reported that they did not know if the food at farmer’s market was safer or not than grocery store products, 27% thought it was more dangerous, and 27% thought it was safer. In other words, no one really knows. From there, the team set out to give everyone a definite answer.
Using CDC and USDA data on food borne illness cases and outbreaks and the density of farmer’s markets in each state, Bellemare collected the data needed to find a correlation. The research team did control for spillover in other states and regions and utilized state-specific, year-specific, and region-specific linear trends to make sure nothing out of the usual had occurred to skew data. They also recognized that food borne illness rates are typically under-reported to the CDC, as not everyone who gets sick got to a doctor for treatment.
Norovirus
So after evaluating data for year, what did the Bellemare team find? A positive linear relationship exists between the number of outbreaks and individual cases of food borne illnesses, especially Norovirus, and the number of farmer’s market in any given state. They confirmed this as a causation by using weather data and noting that lower average temperatures usually meant lower numbers of markets and in turn outbreaks. But this isn’t inherently the fault of the farmer’s and suppliers of the markets, instead it is most likely due to what happens after the transaction has taken place. Food borne illnesses are typically the result of errors in food preparation, such as cooking at incorrect temperatures or leaving food exposed for too long.
This information can be used to inform consumers on how to properly handle food. Practitioners can make sure that their patrons are not only selecting the best foods from these local suppliers, but also serving them in the safest way possible. Eat local, but be mindful of temperatures!
Farmer’s markets are a great way to support one’s local community, but as you mentioned, this information highlights how important it is for consumers to be aware of proper food handling. It seems that individuals believe since the food from a farmer’s market is fresh, there is no need to engage in cautious behaviors. I have even seen how some farmer’s markets accept EBT cards, which most individuals with this are not as knowledgable of health and nutrition, so they have no idea what they are really getting at a farmer’s market. I have only been to a few farmer’s markets so some may do this, but I think it would be very beneficial for there to be pamphlets or handouts at the market that provide food safety tips and information to help reduce the risk of food borne illnesses.
It is intriguing that there is a correlation between the number of farmer’s markets and the prevalence of food borne illness. According to a survey of food safety practices cited in food safety magazine, current practices on small to medium farms could increase risk of contamination. The article cited hygiene practices of workers, unsanitary conditions on the farm and during transit to the markets, as well as contamination of the markets themselves. In addition, microbial pathogens from composting procedures as well as manure fertilizers may leave produce and consumers exposed to additional risk. The author of the New York Times piece leaves us with the idea that perhaps the simplest thing we can do to protect ourselves is wash our produce. As a person who frequently buys my produce from farmers markets I completely agree. Sometimes it is easy to overlook when buying organic, healthy foods. I know I often think more about the pesticides than the number of hands that have touched the produce or the farming practices. This often leaves me being more haphazard about thoroughly cleaning the produce at home, something I shall think about more after reading this.
http://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/junejuly-2014/food-safety-and-farmers-markets/
Harrison, J.A. et al. 2013. Survey of food safety practices on small to medium-sized
farms and in farmers markets. J Food Prot 76(11):1989–19s93.
I am glad the data proved otherwise when it comes to farmer’s market. I think people underestimate the severity of unsafe food handling practices. The fact that most food-borne illness are rarely reported further undermines the dangers of unsafe food handling practices.
This summer while I was in Kenya, I saw a campaign promoting hand washing. This was used as an effort to address infant mortality during the first 28 days due to food borne illnesses. This campaign is said to be successful especially in rural areas. This campaign was also successful because it highlighted infant mortality as the issue. I believe if we could highlight the dangers of not unsafe food handling practices and show the prevalence then maybe people would be more inclined to make sure their handling their food properly.
Were there any particular recommendations from CDC and USDA on how to further encourage people to take more caution?