A multistate effort to integrate and expand farmers’ market food safety materials across the southern region to increase food safety culture

PI: Boyer, Co-PI: Chase, Eifert, Chapman – NCSU, Harrison – UGA, Gibson, Shoulders – U of Ark., Sirsat – U of Houston

Goal: The goal of the project is to equip farmers’ market vendors, managers, and consumers with both scientifically-based and practical behaviors.  A Farmers’ Market Tool-kit will be created and extension specialists, extension Agents, Farmers Market Associations and volunteers will be trained to use it. We hypothesize that a collaboration between key universities with input from stakeholders will result in the best materials developed for this audience. This project will allow us to improve upon the current curriculum, reach a larger audience and impact the public health of farmers’ market patrons.

Benefits: To provide an all-inclusive resource for farmers’ market vendors, managers, and consumers to find food safety related information.  This will help translated complex food safety training materials to the needs of the audience.