Safety of Garden (and Fresh) Produce University of Wisconsin
“Spring and early summer have home gardeners anxious to begin planting, and grocery stores begin to fill with fresh fruits and vegetables from all corners of the globe. Harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows (at home or abroad) may come in contact with the fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Or, fresh produce may become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during preparation or storage. Eating contaminated produce (or fruit and vegetable juices made from contaminated produce) can lead to foodborne illness, which can cause serious – and sometimes fatal – infections. However, it’s easy to help protect yourself and your family from illness by following these steps for growing and serving produce.”
Produce: Selecting and Serving it Safely Food and Drug Administration
“Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Your local markets carry a wide variety of nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. However, harmful bacteria that may be in the soil or water where produce grows can come in contact with fruits and vegetables and contaminate them. Fresh produce may also become contaminated after it is harvested, such as during storage or preparation.As you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect yourself and your family. Eating contaminated produce can lead to foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” So as you enjoy fresh produce, follow these safe handling tips to help protect you and your family.”
Community Donation Gardening Toolkit Iowa State University
“This Community Donation Gardening Toolkit is an online resource for community gardeners who are sharing or plan to share produce with neighborhood and community partners to address food insecurity in their local communities. A community donation garden is a community garden that intends for the produce grown to be consumed by members of the community who are experiencing food insecurity. This toolkit is intended to be an online resource for existing community gardens seeking to donate produce. Gardeners interested in starting a new community garden should consult other resources as well.”
Safe Produce for Food Pantries The University of Wisconsin – Madison, The Ohio State University, Michigan State University Extension
“Thank you for sharing the Safe Produce for Food Pantries project materials as we work together to Make Donations of fresh fruits and vegetables Count! And as together we help Keep fruits and vegetables Fresh and Healthy for food pantry guests! Whether you are training gardeners or food pantries (or both), we encourage you to use our project resources and gather evaluation data at your training.”
