About & Assessment Findings

Phase One

The overall goal of the Food Safety Project for the Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Industry is “to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop producers in Wisconsin by assessing the food safety needs of fresh fruit and vegetable producers and by developing best practices to meet the needs identified.” The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection contracted with FamilyFarmed.org to perform an analysis and devise recommendations regarding the current state of on-farm food safety within the Wisconsin produce industry. FamilyFarmed.org engaged industry representatives as well as stakeholders to participate in the needs assessment and contribute to overall project content and process. The needs assessment revealed that challenges exist for buyers, growers, distributors, and regulators.

Final Report

• Final Report
• Taking Action

Detailed Survey Findings

• Small Grower Findings: Group A
• Small Grower Findings: Group B
• Commercial Grower Survey Findings
• Buyer Survey Findings

Phase Two

The goal of Phase Two is to provide the resources and tools growers need to implement best food safety practices at their growing operations. DATCP has contracted with the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association to implement the recommendations created during phase one. This web-tool gives growers a reliable source of information that will make it possible to develop food safety plans, prepare for third party audits, and ultimately to grow safe produce for consumers.