The Experts below are selected from a list of 201 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Suzanne Thornsbury - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Changes in U.S. produce grower Food Safety practices from 1999 to 2016
Food Control, 2019Co-Authors: Gregory Astill, Travis Minor, Suzanne ThornsburyAbstract:Abstract As large, multistate Foodborne illness outbreaks associated with produce have continued to occur growers, buyers, and government have responded with new organizations, standards, and regulations. Anticipating implementation of new U.S. Federal law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture carried out a national survey of U.S. produce grower Food Safety practices in 2015/16, the first national update since a similar survey in 1999. Since 1999, and before implementation of U.S. Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, the share of growers who use practices that reduce the risk of microbial contamination increased. Fewer growers use flowing surface water for irrigation and more growers use well water. Concurrent with growth in the organic sector, more growers use manure and compost. While more growers’ fields are adjacent to livestock, more growers use fencing around production areas. The most prominent example of change is the increase in frequency that growers and sanitize harvest tools. The decrease in growers who never wash harvest tools is drastic as is the decrease in those who never sanitize. These findings highlight the changes undertaken by industry to reduce risk associated with Foodborne illness even before the implementation of a Federal regulation for On-Farm Food Safety practices.
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Before Implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act's Produce Rule: A Survey of U.S. Produce Growers
2018Co-Authors: Gregory Astill, Travis Minor, Linda Calvin, Suzanne ThornsburyAbstract:The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Produce Rule (PR)—formally known as the “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption”—was the first on farm Food Safety regulation for produce to be consumed in the United States. It set specific disease-preventive requirements for produce that is sold and consumed raw. Teaming with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to conduct a two-part survey in 2015 and 2016, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) asked U.S. produce growers about microbial Food Safety practices already in place before the PR’s implementation. This report presents survey descriptive statistics covering various Food Safety practices and measured costs.
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FLORIDA AND THE FRESH STRAWBERRY INDUSTRY
Journal of food distribution research, 2004Co-Authors: Allen F. Wysocki, Suzanne Thornsbury, Mollie Woods, Richard N. Weldon, Riley TomlinsonAbstract:facing the retail industry (Heller 2002). Consumer awareness of Food Safety issues is reshaping the retail Food-supply chain. The National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) program was developed in 1999 to educate growers and packers of fresh produce about how they can reduce the potential for microbial contamination. GAPs use a HACCP-like approach to address On-Farm Food-Safety issues for fresh produce through a set of practices developed by USDA that a grower may voluntarily adopt. In contrast, third-party certification schemes, developed by private Food Safety companies, involve mandatory adoption of practices in order to achieve certification as “safe.” Recently, many retailers began demanding certification of handling practices from their fresh produce suppliers. Private certifiers inspect farms and provide consultation on how to reduce the likelihood of microbial contamination, for a fee (Henson and Caswell 1999). The additional costs associated with GAPs and/or third-party certification may exclude some small growers from the market and further accelerate the trend toward a bi-modal structure (large versus small) for the Florida fresh strawberry industry. Florida is the largest supplier of strawberries during the winter months (October-January). However, consumers “are slow to recognize the availability of strawberries” during this period (Best 2002). Marketing for strawberries often occurs at the end of the Florida strawberry push; marketing them earlier would allow Florida to have higher returns. If marketed differently there may be an opportunity for Florida growers to sell more berries.
Scott A Mcewen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Use of Good Agricultural Practices and Attitudes toward On-Farm Food Safety among Niche-Market Producers in Ontario, Canada: A Mixed-Methods Study
2011Co-Authors: Ian Young, Lindsay Dooh, Andria Q. Jones, Scott A McewenAbstract:Major agri-Food commodities in Canada use On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) programs that include good agricultural practices (GAPs), but niche-market (e.g. organic and small-scale) producers might have limited awareness of these programs or barriers to implementing them. We used a mixed-methods approach to study the reported use of recommended GAPs and factors related to the potential adoption of an OFFS program among niche-market producers in Ontario, Canada. Questionnaires were administered and 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2008–2009. In total, 575 questionnaires were collected. The most commonly-produced commodities among respondents were vegetables (54.4%), fruits (36.7%) and beef cattle (31.1%). Disinfection of Food animal drinking water and of post-harvest produce wash water was reported by 19.0% and 39.4% of respondents, respectively. Organic (26.4%) and OFFS program participation status (24.7%) were associated with the use of GAPs. Primary themes identified through interviews included concerns about the Food Safety of imported products, suggestions that OFFS programs be tailored by farm scale and be user-friendly and cost-recoverable, and the importance of producer education and government support. Future outreach with niche-market producers should focus on water disinfection (where appropriate), and they should be engaged in reviewing OFFS programs directed toward them to ensure their suitability and adoption.
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Knowledge and attitudes toward Food Safety and use of good production practices among Canadian broiler chicken producers.
Journal of food protection, 2010Co-Authors: Ian Young, Andrijana Rajić, Ann Letellier, Bill Cox, Mira Leslie, Babak Sanei, Scott A McewenAbstract:Provincial broiler-chicken marketing boards in Canada have recently implemented an On-Farm Food Safety program called Safe, Safer, Safest. The purpose of this study was to measure broiler chicken producers' attitudes toward the program and Food Safety topics and use of highly recommended good production practices (GPP). Mailed and Web-based questionnaires were administered to all producers registered in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec in 2008. The response percentage was 33.2% (642 of 1,932). Nearly 70% of respondents rated the program as effective in producing safe chicken, and 49.1% rated the program requirements as easy to implement. Most respondents (92.9%) reported that they do not raise other poultry or keep birds as pets, and 79.8% reported that they clean and disinfect their barns between each flock cycle. Less than 50% of respondents reported that visitors wash their hands or change their clothes before entering barns, 38.4% reported that catching crews wear clean clothes and boots, and 35.8% reported that a crew other than from the hatchery places chicks. Respondents who rated the program requirements as effective or easy to implement were more likely to report the use of five of six highly recommended GPP. Only 21.1% of respondents indicated that Campylobacter can be transmitted from contaminated chicken meat to humans, and 26.6% believed that antimicrobial use in their industry is linked to antimicrobial resistance in humans. Continuing education of producers should focus on improving their awareness of these issues, while mandatory GPP should include those that are known to be effective in controlling Campylobacter and Salmonella in broiler chicken flocks.
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Knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety among Canadian dairy producers
Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2010Co-Authors: I. Young, Scott Hendrick, J. Trenton Mcclure, S. Parker, Aleksanda Rajić, J. Sanchez, Scott A McewenAbstract:The Canadian dairy industry has recently begun implementing an On-Farm Food-Safety (OFFS) program called Canadian Quality Milk (CQM). For CQM to be effective, producers should be familiar with Food-Safety hazards in their industry and have an adequate understanding of On-Farm good production practices that are necessary to ensure safe Food. To assess their knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety, a postal questionnaire was administered to all (n = 10,474) Canadian dairy producers enrolled in dairy herd-improvement organizations in 2008. The response rate was 20.9% (2185/10,474). Most producers (88.7%) reported that they or their families consume unpasteurized milk from their bulk milk tanks and 36.3% indicated that consumers should be able to purchase unpasteurized milk in Canada. Producers who reported completion of a dairy-health management course (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and participation in CQM (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.97) were less likely to support the availability of unpasteurized milk for consumers, while organic producers (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.47), younger producers (aged
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Knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety among Canadian dairy producers.
Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2009Co-Authors: Ian Young, J. Trenton Mcclure, S. Parker, J. Sanchez, Andrijana Rajić, Steven Hendrick, Scott A McewenAbstract:Abstract The Canadian dairy industry has recently begun implementing an On-Farm Food-Safety (OFFS) program called Canadian Quality Milk (CQM). For CQM to be effective, producers should be familiar with Food-Safety hazards in their industry and have an adequate understanding of On-Farm good production practices that are necessary to ensure safe Food. To assess their knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety, a postal questionnaire was administered to all ( n = 10,474) Canadian dairy producers enrolled in dairy herd-improvement organizations in 2008. The response rate was 20.9% (2185/10,474). Most producers (88.7%) reported that they or their families consume unpasteurized milk from their bulk milk tanks and 36.3% indicated that consumers should be able to purchase unpasteurized milk in Canada. Producers who reported completion of a dairy-health management course (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and participation in CQM (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.97) were less likely to support the availability of unpasteurized milk for consumers, while organic producers (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.47), younger producers (aged Most producers reported that Salmonella (74.2%) and Escherichia coli (73.0%) could be transmitted through contaminated beef or milk to humans, while most were not sure or did not think that Brucella (70.3%) and Cryptosporidium (88.5%) could be transmitted via these routes. Most producers did not perceive that any type of farm visitor has a high risk of introducing infectious agents into their herds. Producers rated veterinarians as very knowledgeable about OFFS (90.9% answered 4 or 5 on a five-point scale) and a favoured (73.1%) source of information about Food Safety. In contrast, only 13.2% and 30.2% of producers, respectively, indicated that consumers and government personnel are knowledgeable about OFFS. Targeted continuing education for dairy producers in Canada should address the major gaps in knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety identified in this study, and veterinarians should be included as key knowledge-transfer informants.
Gregory Astill - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Changes in U.S. produce grower Food Safety practices from 1999 to 2016
Food Control, 2019Co-Authors: Gregory Astill, Travis Minor, Suzanne ThornsburyAbstract:Abstract As large, multistate Foodborne illness outbreaks associated with produce have continued to occur growers, buyers, and government have responded with new organizations, standards, and regulations. Anticipating implementation of new U.S. Federal law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture carried out a national survey of U.S. produce grower Food Safety practices in 2015/16, the first national update since a similar survey in 1999. Since 1999, and before implementation of U.S. Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, the share of growers who use practices that reduce the risk of microbial contamination increased. Fewer growers use flowing surface water for irrigation and more growers use well water. Concurrent with growth in the organic sector, more growers use manure and compost. While more growers’ fields are adjacent to livestock, more growers use fencing around production areas. The most prominent example of change is the increase in frequency that growers and sanitize harvest tools. The decrease in growers who never wash harvest tools is drastic as is the decrease in those who never sanitize. These findings highlight the changes undertaken by industry to reduce risk associated with Foodborne illness even before the implementation of a Federal regulation for On-Farm Food Safety practices.
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Before Implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act's Produce Rule: A Survey of U.S. Produce Growers
2018Co-Authors: Gregory Astill, Travis Minor, Linda Calvin, Suzanne ThornsburyAbstract:The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Produce Rule (PR)—formally known as the “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption”—was the first on farm Food Safety regulation for produce to be consumed in the United States. It set specific disease-preventive requirements for produce that is sold and consumed raw. Teaming with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to conduct a two-part survey in 2015 and 2016, USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) asked U.S. produce growers about microbial Food Safety practices already in place before the PR’s implementation. This report presents survey descriptive statistics covering various Food Safety practices and measured costs.
Andrijana Rajić - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Knowledge and attitudes toward Food Safety and use of good production practices among Canadian broiler chicken producers.
Journal of food protection, 2010Co-Authors: Ian Young, Andrijana Rajić, Ann Letellier, Bill Cox, Mira Leslie, Babak Sanei, Scott A McewenAbstract:Provincial broiler-chicken marketing boards in Canada have recently implemented an On-Farm Food Safety program called Safe, Safer, Safest. The purpose of this study was to measure broiler chicken producers' attitudes toward the program and Food Safety topics and use of highly recommended good production practices (GPP). Mailed and Web-based questionnaires were administered to all producers registered in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec in 2008. The response percentage was 33.2% (642 of 1,932). Nearly 70% of respondents rated the program as effective in producing safe chicken, and 49.1% rated the program requirements as easy to implement. Most respondents (92.9%) reported that they do not raise other poultry or keep birds as pets, and 79.8% reported that they clean and disinfect their barns between each flock cycle. Less than 50% of respondents reported that visitors wash their hands or change their clothes before entering barns, 38.4% reported that catching crews wear clean clothes and boots, and 35.8% reported that a crew other than from the hatchery places chicks. Respondents who rated the program requirements as effective or easy to implement were more likely to report the use of five of six highly recommended GPP. Only 21.1% of respondents indicated that Campylobacter can be transmitted from contaminated chicken meat to humans, and 26.6% believed that antimicrobial use in their industry is linked to antimicrobial resistance in humans. Continuing education of producers should focus on improving their awareness of these issues, while mandatory GPP should include those that are known to be effective in controlling Campylobacter and Salmonella in broiler chicken flocks.
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Knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety among Canadian dairy producers.
Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2009Co-Authors: Ian Young, J. Trenton Mcclure, S. Parker, J. Sanchez, Andrijana Rajić, Steven Hendrick, Scott A McewenAbstract:Abstract The Canadian dairy industry has recently begun implementing an On-Farm Food-Safety (OFFS) program called Canadian Quality Milk (CQM). For CQM to be effective, producers should be familiar with Food-Safety hazards in their industry and have an adequate understanding of On-Farm good production practices that are necessary to ensure safe Food. To assess their knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety, a postal questionnaire was administered to all ( n = 10,474) Canadian dairy producers enrolled in dairy herd-improvement organizations in 2008. The response rate was 20.9% (2185/10,474). Most producers (88.7%) reported that they or their families consume unpasteurized milk from their bulk milk tanks and 36.3% indicated that consumers should be able to purchase unpasteurized milk in Canada. Producers who reported completion of a dairy-health management course (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and participation in CQM (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.97) were less likely to support the availability of unpasteurized milk for consumers, while organic producers (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.47), younger producers (aged Most producers reported that Salmonella (74.2%) and Escherichia coli (73.0%) could be transmitted through contaminated beef or milk to humans, while most were not sure or did not think that Brucella (70.3%) and Cryptosporidium (88.5%) could be transmitted via these routes. Most producers did not perceive that any type of farm visitor has a high risk of introducing infectious agents into their herds. Producers rated veterinarians as very knowledgeable about OFFS (90.9% answered 4 or 5 on a five-point scale) and a favoured (73.1%) source of information about Food Safety. In contrast, only 13.2% and 30.2% of producers, respectively, indicated that consumers and government personnel are knowledgeable about OFFS. Targeted continuing education for dairy producers in Canada should address the major gaps in knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety identified in this study, and veterinarians should be included as key knowledge-transfer informants.
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An overview of microbial Food Safety programs in beef, pork, and poultry from farm to processing in Canada.
Journal of food protection, 2007Co-Authors: Andrijana Rajić, Jan M. Sargeant, Lisa Waddell, Susan Read, Jeffrey M. Farber, Martin J. Firth, Albert ChambersAbstract:Canada's vision for the agri-Food industry in the 21st century is the establishment of a national Food Safety system employing hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) principles and microbiological verification tools, with traceability throughout the gate-to-plate continuum. Voluntary On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) programs, based in part on HACCP principles, provide producers with guidelines for good production practices focused on general hygiene and biosecurity. OFFS programs in beef cattle, swine, and poultry are currently being evaluated through a national recognition program of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Mandatory HACCP programs in federal meat facilities include microbial testing for generic Escherichia coli to verify effectiveness of the processor's dressing procedure, specific testing of ground meat for E. coli O157:H7, with zero tolerance for this organism in the tested lot, and Salmonella testing of raw products. Health Canada's policy on Listeria monocytogenes divides ready-to-eat products into three risk categories, with products previously implicated as the source of an outbreak receiving the highest priority for inspection and compliance. A national mandatory identification program to track livestock from the herd of origin to carcass inspection has been established. Can-Trace, a data standard for all Food commodities, has been designed to facilitate tracking Foods from the point of origin to the consumer. Although much work has already been done, a coherent national Food Safety strategy and concerted efforts by all stakeholders are needed to realize this vision. Cooperation of many government agencies with shared responsibility for Food Safety and public health will be essential.
Ian Young - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Use of Good Agricultural Practices and Attitudes toward On-Farm Food Safety among Niche-Market Producers in Ontario, Canada: A Mixed-Methods Study
2011Co-Authors: Ian Young, Lindsay Dooh, Andria Q. Jones, Scott A McewenAbstract:Major agri-Food commodities in Canada use On-Farm Food Safety (OFFS) programs that include good agricultural practices (GAPs), but niche-market (e.g. organic and small-scale) producers might have limited awareness of these programs or barriers to implementing them. We used a mixed-methods approach to study the reported use of recommended GAPs and factors related to the potential adoption of an OFFS program among niche-market producers in Ontario, Canada. Questionnaires were administered and 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2008–2009. In total, 575 questionnaires were collected. The most commonly-produced commodities among respondents were vegetables (54.4%), fruits (36.7%) and beef cattle (31.1%). Disinfection of Food animal drinking water and of post-harvest produce wash water was reported by 19.0% and 39.4% of respondents, respectively. Organic (26.4%) and OFFS program participation status (24.7%) were associated with the use of GAPs. Primary themes identified through interviews included concerns about the Food Safety of imported products, suggestions that OFFS programs be tailored by farm scale and be user-friendly and cost-recoverable, and the importance of producer education and government support. Future outreach with niche-market producers should focus on water disinfection (where appropriate), and they should be engaged in reviewing OFFS programs directed toward them to ensure their suitability and adoption.
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Knowledge and attitudes toward Food Safety and use of good production practices among Canadian broiler chicken producers.
Journal of food protection, 2010Co-Authors: Ian Young, Andrijana Rajić, Ann Letellier, Bill Cox, Mira Leslie, Babak Sanei, Scott A McewenAbstract:Provincial broiler-chicken marketing boards in Canada have recently implemented an On-Farm Food Safety program called Safe, Safer, Safest. The purpose of this study was to measure broiler chicken producers' attitudes toward the program and Food Safety topics and use of highly recommended good production practices (GPP). Mailed and Web-based questionnaires were administered to all producers registered in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec in 2008. The response percentage was 33.2% (642 of 1,932). Nearly 70% of respondents rated the program as effective in producing safe chicken, and 49.1% rated the program requirements as easy to implement. Most respondents (92.9%) reported that they do not raise other poultry or keep birds as pets, and 79.8% reported that they clean and disinfect their barns between each flock cycle. Less than 50% of respondents reported that visitors wash their hands or change their clothes before entering barns, 38.4% reported that catching crews wear clean clothes and boots, and 35.8% reported that a crew other than from the hatchery places chicks. Respondents who rated the program requirements as effective or easy to implement were more likely to report the use of five of six highly recommended GPP. Only 21.1% of respondents indicated that Campylobacter can be transmitted from contaminated chicken meat to humans, and 26.6% believed that antimicrobial use in their industry is linked to antimicrobial resistance in humans. Continuing education of producers should focus on improving their awareness of these issues, while mandatory GPP should include those that are known to be effective in controlling Campylobacter and Salmonella in broiler chicken flocks.
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Knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety among Canadian dairy producers.
Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2009Co-Authors: Ian Young, J. Trenton Mcclure, S. Parker, J. Sanchez, Andrijana Rajić, Steven Hendrick, Scott A McewenAbstract:Abstract The Canadian dairy industry has recently begun implementing an On-Farm Food-Safety (OFFS) program called Canadian Quality Milk (CQM). For CQM to be effective, producers should be familiar with Food-Safety hazards in their industry and have an adequate understanding of On-Farm good production practices that are necessary to ensure safe Food. To assess their knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety, a postal questionnaire was administered to all ( n = 10,474) Canadian dairy producers enrolled in dairy herd-improvement organizations in 2008. The response rate was 20.9% (2185/10,474). Most producers (88.7%) reported that they or their families consume unpasteurized milk from their bulk milk tanks and 36.3% indicated that consumers should be able to purchase unpasteurized milk in Canada. Producers who reported completion of a dairy-health management course (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.92) and participation in CQM (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.97) were less likely to support the availability of unpasteurized milk for consumers, while organic producers (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.27, 3.47), younger producers (aged Most producers reported that Salmonella (74.2%) and Escherichia coli (73.0%) could be transmitted through contaminated beef or milk to humans, while most were not sure or did not think that Brucella (70.3%) and Cryptosporidium (88.5%) could be transmitted via these routes. Most producers did not perceive that any type of farm visitor has a high risk of introducing infectious agents into their herds. Producers rated veterinarians as very knowledgeable about OFFS (90.9% answered 4 or 5 on a five-point scale) and a favoured (73.1%) source of information about Food Safety. In contrast, only 13.2% and 30.2% of producers, respectively, indicated that consumers and government personnel are knowledgeable about OFFS. Targeted continuing education for dairy producers in Canada should address the major gaps in knowledge and attitudes towards Food Safety identified in this study, and veterinarians should be included as key knowledge-transfer informants.
