Researchers work to make buying local food safer
AUBURN, Ala. — The local foods movement is continuing to grow in the U.S., and consumers want to know more about where their food is coming from.
Auburn University researchers are beginning to address how to educate and train meat farmers on ways to ensure a more secure food chain.
Working with a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture for more than $4 million, the researchers are looking to bridge gaps between knowledge and practices in production and distribution of local foods.
Led by Christy Bratcher, an Auburn University College of Agriculture professor and director of the Foods Systems Institute, the research team is looking at ways to ensure meat is safe to eat, especially when it is produced by small production facilities.
Beginning in 2012, the project’s main goal was to research farms where cattle were being raised for commercial harvests and for direct sales, more specifically looking at the prevalence of E. coli on the farms and in production facilities.
“We collected fecal samples and water samples from any streams or ponds that those animals had access to,” Bratcher said. “We found higher levels of E. coli in water to which cattle had access, which wasn’t a surprise.”
E. coli prevalence
The E. coli studied in this project do not typically harm cattle but may be pathogenic to humans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli is a type of bacteria that is typically found in the intestines of people and animals. Although usually harmless, some E. coli are pathogenic and can cause illness.
Bratcher, along with colleague Manpreet Singh of the University of Georgia, looked at the biggest problem in the local foods industry: making sure local producers kept their facilities sanitary.
Bratcher hopes her research will help guarantee a safer food supply for consumers, whether they are buying from a farmers market or a chain store.
She and her team have begun to create a program to assist local processors to reduce the amount of E. coli transferred to the beef they produce.
