How Local is That Produce Item at the Farmers' Market?

A TV News report out of Philadelphia shows that some produce items sold at Farmers' Markets are not grown on the local farm, but rather the same commercially grown items sold at the grocery store.  Sure, it is still fresh, but not grown by the guy selling it, or probably not grown in the same region.  The problem is that people don't realize it and they are spending more for it than they would at the grocery store.

This should not come as a surprise.  If you are buying berries in Lancaster at this time of the year, it is probably not grown anywhere near Lancaster.  Farmers' markets vendors will supplement what they grow with other items to have a broader offering.  To get these items, they often go to the same produce wholesalers / distributors where your grocery store gets them.  And because they are buying in smaller quantities, they pay more and thus charge more.
There is no problem with this as long as the consumer understands what they are buying.  It the consumer wants to pay a couple extra bucks to help support their local farmers' market vendor, have at it.  If you feel you have been duped, then talk with your farmers' market vendor.  Find out which items are truly local.  Also, understand what crops are grown in your area and the season for that crop.

(Thanks Josh for this link).

ABC News Channel 6 Philadelphia
http://6abc.com/food/action-news-investigation-is-farmers-market-produce-really-from-farm/1588491/
FOOD & DRINK
Action News Investigation: Is farmers market produce really from the farm?
Friday, November 04, 2016 11:56AM
ST. DAVIDS, Pa. (WPVI) -- An Action News investigation revealed not all those fruits and vegetables, packaged alongside local grown produce, may actually be from nearby farms.

Chipotle Tightens Produce Supplier Control, Will Impact Local Suppliers

Chipotle is tightening its produce supplier control program after getting slammed by a foodborne illness outbreak associated with produce.  The last outbreak, which was caused by E. coli 0126 contamination, affected 45 people in 6 different states.  (The earlier report had the number at 35).  This is the third major outbreak associated with this chain.

Chipotle's strategy was to utilize local growers wherever they could.  But increasing the supplier requirements may mean that some of the local growers/producers will need to adapt, and as indicated in this story, there may be some that will be challenged. Chipotle's overall food safety strategy has stumbled, costing them billions...in terms for having to shut down their stores in the northwest, and having their stock price fall by 23% .

It is great to use local suppliers, but regardless of location or of size of the supplier, the same standards must be met.

 

USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/12/02/chipotle-tightens-produce-supplier-guidelines-after-ecoli-outbreak/76681228/?AID=10709313&PID=4003003&SID=ihqdyp5zr200bv5i00dth

Chipotle to tighten produce supplier rules after E. coli outbreak

Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY 6:01 p.m. EST December 2, 2015

 

Chipotle Mexican Grill will soon have stricter guidelines for its suppliers that will mean the chain will be using local produce less often, a move the company is making in the aftermath of an E. coli outbreak that sickened dozens of customers in six states.

Four Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Backyard Chickens

Backyard chickens...there is an increasing trend for towns to allow for backyard chickens.  Even State College, PA permits people to have backyard chickens, although there are rules.  However, 4 recent outbreaks of Salmonella associated with backyard chickens remind us that there is a risk.

If raising chickens in the backyard, keep them in the backyard.  Letting them in the house, cuddling with them, or smooching them is not a good idea.  Wash hands after handling poultry.  This is especially true for children.

 

   

CDC Outbreak Report

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/live-poultry-07-15/index.html

Four Multistate Outbreaks of Human Salmonella Infections Linked to Live Poultry in Backyard Flocks

July 1, 2015

 

Highlights

Read the Advice to Backyard Flock Owners »(http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/live-poultry-07-15/advice.html)

CDC, public health, veterinary, and agriculture officials in many states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) are investigating four multistate outbreaks of human Salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry.

• As of June 29, 2015, 181 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 40 states.
• 33 ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback findings have linked these four outbreaks of human Salmonella infections to contact with chicks, ducklings, and other live poultry from multiple hatcheries.

Increased Demand for Local Foods and Food Safety

A recent survey shows that US shoppers will pay more for local foods.  This consumer trend has, and will continue to increase the demands for local companies to supply goods such as produce, meats, and processed foods.   In order to provide safe foods, local producers and processors will have to comply with food safety practices that are becoming more stringent.  Local regulatory officials will be challenged for providing oversight to an increasing number of firms, as well as with a wider variety of products they are producing.

 

With increasing demand creating premium pricing, one can expect that there will be new businesses entering into the marketplace.  While this is a positive for local economies, there is the possibility for more food safety issues as new producers face the challenge of implementing food safety systems. 

 

One food safety lapse can bring all of this to a quick halt for that local company.  Media coverage, including social media, seems to be able to exact a high price to those whose products are involved in foodborne outbreak or a recall.

 

This is not just an issue for new companies, but also those established firms as they increase production or create new products.  Increased production can stress a company's food safety system to a point where potential food safety lapses can occur.

 

Local companies need to embrace food safety and work to enact the best practices.  It is important that companies research new products to assure that all potential food safety hazards have been identified and controlled.

  

PR Newswire
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/second-annual-at-kearney-survey-of-us-grocery-shoppers-indicates-one-third-will-pay-10-percent-premium-for-local-food-257937971.html
Second Annual A.T. Kearney Survey of U.S. Grocery Shoppers Indicates One-Third will Pay 10 Percent Premium for Local Food
Willingness to pay for local food increases to a 20 percent premium or more in key categories

CHICAGO, May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual A.T. Kearney survey of U.S. shoppers' local food buying habits finds that local food is fast becoming a necessity for attracting and retaining grocery customers. Comparing survey results to the 2013 survey, an increased number of shoppers indicate that local foods are an important factor in what they buy and where they buy it. A majority of grocery shoppers in the survey indicated that they think more highly of retailers that carry local food and will consider switching retailers to find better local food selections.

Local foods and organic foods face food safety issues too.

While we have known this and have been saying it for some time, it is good  to see the media is communicating this type of information. 

Interesting statement from the article – “The FDA has reported at least 20 recalls due to pathogens in organic food in the last two years, while the Agriculture Department, which oversees meat safety, issued a recall of more than 34,000 pounds of organic beef last December due to possible contamination with E. coli.”

 

Local, organic, natural foods not always safer as many small farms are exempt from laws

By Associated Press, Published: October 25

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/local-organic-and-natural-food-not-always-safer-as-smaller-farms-are-exempt-from-laws/2011/10/25/gIQAPoEhGM_story.html

WASHINGTON — Shoppers nervous about foodborne illnesses may turn to foods produced at smaller farms or labeled “local,” ‘’organic” or “natural” in the hopes that such products are safer. But a small outbreak of salmonella in organic eggs from Minnesota shows that no food is immune to contamination.

While sales for food produced on smaller operations have exploded, partially fueled by a consumer backlash to food produced by larger companies, a new set of food safety challenges has emerged. And small farm operations have been exempted from food safety laws as conservatives, farmers and food-lovers have worried about too much government intervention and regulators have struggled with tight budgets.

The government has traditionally focused on safety at large food operations — including farms, processing plants, and retailers — because they reach the most people. Recent outbreaks in cantaloupe, ground turkey, eggs and peanuts have started at large farms or plants and sickened thousands of people across the country.

“While it’s critical that food processors be regularly inspected, there is no way the Food and Drug Administration would ever have the resources to check every farm in the country, nor are we calling for that,” says Erik Olson, a food safety advocate at the Pew Health Group. “Unfortunately, there are regulatory gaps, with some producers being completely exempt from FDA safeguards.”

The FDA, which oversees the safety of most of the U.S. food supply, often must focus on companies that have the greatest reach. A sweeping new egg rule enacted last year would require most egg producers to do more testing for pathogens. Though the rule will eventually cover more than 99 percent of the country’s egg supply, small farms like Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, Minn., would not qualify. That farm issued a recall last week after six cases of salmonella poisoning were linked to the farm’s eggs.

A new food safety law President Barack Obama signed earlier this year exempts some small farms as a result of farmers and local food advocates complaining that creating costly food safety plans could cause some small businesses to go bankrupt. The exemption covers farms of a certain size that sell within a limited distance of their operation.

Food safety advocates unsuccessfully lobbied against the provision, as did the organic industry. Christine Bushway of the Organic Trade Association, which represents large and small producers, says food safety comes down to proper operation of a farm or food company, not its scale.

“How is the farm managed? How much effort is put into food safety?” she asks. “If you don’t have really good management, it doesn’t matter.”

Smaller farms do have some obvious food safety advantages. Owners have more control over what they are producing and often do not ship as far, lessening the chances for contamination in transport. If the farm is organic, an inspector will have to visit the property to certify it is organic and may report to authorities if they see food being produced in an unsafe way. Customers may also be familiar with an operation if it is nearby.

But those checks aren’t fail-safe. The FDA has reported at least 20 recalls due to pathogens in organic food in the last two years, while the Agriculture Department, which oversees meat safety, issued a recall of more than 34,000 pounds of organic beef last December due to possible contamination with E. coli.

Egg safety is equally ambiguous. While many people like to buy cage-free eggs, those chickens may be exposed to bacteria on the grounds where they are roaming.

So what can a consumer do? Experts say to follow the traditional rules, no matter what the variety of food. Cook foods like eggs and meat, and make sure you are scrubbing fruit and cleaning your kitchen well.

Do your part, and hope for the best, the experts say.

“Labels like organic or local don’t translate into necessarily safer products,” says Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “They are capturing different values but not ensuring safety.”

Bushway of the Organic Trade Association says one of the best checks on food safety is the devastating effect a recall or foodborne illness outbreak can have on a company’s bottom line.

“It’s just good business to make sure you are putting the safest products on the market,” she says.