SMALL FARMS AND FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES IN TEXAS

Abstract

Food safety means knowing how to buy, prepare, and store food to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses, like Salmonella and E. coli. This review aimed to assess current food safety gaps among small farms in Texas to identify key areas of focus for potential education and training materials for these stakeholders. Small growers earn ≤$25,000 in annual sales over a 3-year period and have an average food sale of less than $500,000. The information in this review will help in the design of targeted and specific food safety training materials for small farms.

Keywords

• small farms
• food safety practice, food safety knowledge
• small grower resources
• produce growers