Strohbehn helps producers, consumers keep foods healthy, safe

Ames, Iowa - The growing season is upon us, and local producers are busy preparing for the months of increased production and activity. Commerce in locally-grown produce is on the rise due in part to increased interest in farmer's markets and the wide variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables available to consumers.

 

With spring well under way, many local farmers' markets are kicking off their seasons. A USDA publication, National Directory of Farmer's Markets 2000, indicated a growth rate for active farmer's markets of 18.8 percent since 1996. With consumers' growing attention to healthy eating and lifestyles, choosing to buy local, fresh products becomes
appealing.

 

Catherine Strohbehn, Iowa State University Families Extension specialist in the hotel, restaurant, and institution management program (HRIM), has been working to help Iowa food producers bring locally grown food to area restaurants and institutions since 1999.

 

Strohbehn and other ISU Extension staff and HRIM faculty aim to provide information so that links between local food producers and retail foodservices that can benefit from their goods, such as restaurants, schools, and food retailers, can be established.

 

"Historically, HRIM has done a lot of work in the areas of food service management and food safety," Strohbehn said. "We realized that small- and medium-sized producers didn't always have the formal infrastructure to provide training or awareness of issues like effective cleaning, sanitizing, and temperature controls. We work with the producer groups to help them understand how to better service their customers, at individual and establishment levels."

 

By writing brochures, providing training sessions, doing presentations, conducting on-going research, and developing the web site, www.iastatelocalfoods.org, Strohbehn, other ISU Extension staff, and
HRIM faculty are busy with outreach efforts to educate everyone about local foods and proper precautions to fight food-borne illnesses.

 

"Retail decision-makers often recognize that local foods are highly valued by the customer," Strohbehn said. "There are many advantages to both the consumer and the producer, and we see these themes come together in this program. Concerns about  obesity and the need for  healthy eating, sustainable or organic farming, and supporting local business are just a few of the major drivers of local food systems."

 

Strohbehn said that with the upcoming fresh produce season, consumers will have the opportunity to try a wide array of  items and unique varieties of produce. Because of recent outbreaks of food-borne illness from fresh produce, consumers should keep a few
things in mind when picking out fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

"The consumer needs to look at overall cleanliness of the product, the stand, and the people handling their food - just like you would at a restaurant," Strohbehn said.

 

"Another important, but often overlooked aspect, is the packaging. We recommend that produce be sold and packaged in a produce bag, like one you'd find at the grocery store. Some package materials, like garbage bags, are not considered food contact surfaces."

 

A grant from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture that supports Strohbehn's "SafeFood Handling on the Farm," project will end soon, but Strohbehn said there are other resources available to consumers. Information on where to find local foods and what to look for when selecting them can be found at web sites such as www.extension.iasate.edu/valueaddedag, iamarketmaker.uiuc.edu, www.growiowa.org,
www.iowaagriculture.gov, and www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1693.pdf. Each provides valuable resources on many aspects of the field-to-table process.

 

"Recently, someone at one of our meetings said, 'Local is the new global,' and I think that's true," Strohbehn said. "Because of concerns about food security and food safety, many people want to know where their food comes from, and to put that food with a face. It's about building relationships and a sense of community."

 

For more information on the SafeFood Handling on the Farm grant or Strohbehn's work in the area of local food systems, contact her at (515) 294-3527 or cstrohbe@iastate.edu.