Billions of dollars in the economy and the health of millions of people in Washington depend on safe-to-eat foods in grocery stores, farmers markets and restaurants. Three Washington State University Extension professions are working to ensure that meals and snacks are safe to consume, locally, nationally and even internationally. Claire Murphy, assistant professor and Extension specialist in produce safety said proper food safety practices begin in the orchards and fields where the food is grown.
“So, there’s a lot we think about that have these multiple uses. So thinking about increasing the fertility of our soil, increasing our crop yield, but might also have that secondary thought of how is this going to impact the safety of our product.”
Murphy added it’s important that everyone in the supply chain, from the growers to the processors, to the truck drivers may food safety practices a priority. She noted that once that trust is broken via an outbreak, it’s very difficult to win back those consumers.
“We saw that a lot with some of the outbreaks related to lettuce. It was really difficult for us back in 2018-2019 when we’re seeing those romaine outbreaks to identify exactly where the source of that contaminated lettuce was. And so it really hit the industry, of that region hard, but also those who worked in the supply chain. And so there’s a lot of steps that get our produce from farm to table and it has an economic impact on everyone involved.”
Murphy pointed out that food safety impacts a variety of products on a variety of different levels.
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