According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eating plenty of safe fruits and vegetables can protect from some types of cancers, heart disease, stroke, and also help manage weight. Therefore, international organizations -including the World Health Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the CDC- have encouraged people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Food safety and health organizations including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and WHO have developed regulations and guidelines to minimize microbial contamination of fruit and vegetables. Farmers in developing countries should use these science-based standards and guidelines to produce safe fruits and vegetables. Other agencies and organizations should also integrate these standards and guidelines in their programs. The following are some science-based recommendations for farmers in managing animals to produce safe fruits and vegetables:
• Understand of food safety risks associated with animals, and fruits and vegetables, including potential routes for contamination
• Conduct a risk assessment, before planting, to prevent contamination of produce, agricultural water, etc. with animal feces
• Keep the conservation of natural resources (soil, water, air, wildlife, and other natural resources) in mind when establishing food safety measures to control fecal contamination associated with fresh fruits and vegetables
• Designate separate areas for domesticated animals where they cannot have access to fields
• Use practical methods (including fencing, noise deterrents, etc.) to discourage wildlife presence in those areas to prevent fecal contamination of the produce, water sources, or other farm areas
• Do not allow, if possible, working animals in the field when the edible portion of the crop is present, especially near harvest time
• Minimize the contact of working animals, if necessary to use them, with growing areas
• Apply waiting periods between grazing and harvest
• Exclude pets from fruit and vegetable fields and must be excluded from fully enclosed buildings; working dogs and cats are not prohibited, but their presence should be monitored
• Inspect fruit and vegetable fields for animal fecal contamination during the growing season
• Establish Standard Operating Procedures that outline practices to take if an animal defecates in the field near or on produce occurred
• Use specific clothing and tools to activities associated animals (such as cleaning animal stalls) to minimize the movement of fecal contamination into the produce growing or packing areas
• Wash hands, after touching animals or any animal waste, to minimize the likelihood of contamination of fruits and vegetables
• Establish a preharvest assessment to determines if it is safe (such as no visible contamination with animal excreta) to harvest fruits and vegetables
• Do not harvest contaminated fruits and vegetables
• Establish corrective actions (such as establishing no-harvest buffer zones) to reduce the risks to fresh produce
• Document all activities/actions related to domesticated and wild animals
