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The Ohio State University Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team

The OSU Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team educates growers of fresh produce about Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)-Fresh Produce Safety Rules. We strive to ensure a strong scientific basis behind the best practices taught and recommended by our team, provide helpful tools and resources to develop risk assessments and food safety plans for the farm, and promote high-quality, safe produce from Ohio growers.

The OSU Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team was formed as a result of requests from producers for food safety education programs.  These initial programs demonstrated a need for outreach activities focused on fresh produce safety and led to an Excellence in Engagement Grant that enabled us to expand our educational programs statewide. Today our interdisciplinary team consists of OSU faculty, State Extension Specialists, Extension Educators, and Field Specialists.  Team members conduct research to improve best management practices, deliver food safety trainings and provide support for developing and implementing food safety plans. In 2015 and 2016 we trained 1257 fresh produce growers on GAPs and 92 growers on FSMA-Fresh Produce Rules.

News

  1. OSU OFFERS ONLINE GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COURSE FOR HYDROPONIC OPERATIONS

    Apr 4, 2023

    The OSU Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team launched their new on-line course for Good Agricultural Practices in Hydroponic Operations this week.  This self-paced on-line course provides produce growers with the knowledge and tools needed to implement best management practices to reduce microbial food safety hazards in hydroponic vegetable and fruit operations.  Participants will receive a certificate of participation after completing this course.  The cost of the course is $150.  To register for the course click here (

  2. OSU OFFERS NEW ONLINE COURSE FOR GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES

    Jan 17, 2023

    The OSU Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team launched their new on-line course for Good Agricultural Practices this week.  This self-paced on-line course provides produce growers with the knowledge and tools needed to implement best management practices to reduce microbial food safety hazards in vegetable and fruit operations.  Participants will receive a certificate of participation after completing this course.  The cost of the course is $50.  To register for the course click here (go.

  3. How COVID19 Affects the Safety of Your Fresh Produce

    Mar 16, 2020

    By Drs. Sanja Ilic and Melanie Lewis Ivey

    Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses whose members cause the common cold, but also more severe illnesses like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), all of which can infect both humans and animals, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). COVID-19 is the new coronavirus that causes symptoms that include fever, coughing, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties and other, and range from mild to severe respiratory illness. Advanced age, or conditions such as various cancers, chronic pulmonary diseases, asthma, heart disease and even diabetes, are associated with an increased severity of COVID-19 infections and higher fatality rates.

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