A Systematic Literature Review of Produce Safety Training Research: Do We Know What Works?

Nearly half (46%) of all foodborne disease outbreaks are attributed to eating contaminated produce. Produce safety training is one approach used to decrease the risk of produce-related foodborne disease. However, it is not conclusively known if such training works. Our two study objectives were to determine: (1) how produce safety training is evaluated and (2) which training approaches improved practices. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Using three categories of key terms (intervention, facility, and qualifier words), five databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles. Results were screened according to a priori criteria. A total of 21 articles were included: only nine evaluated training implemented by the authors. Over half (n = 15) measured knowledge, attitudes, and skills change. Only one was designed to demonstrate true cause and effect between training and produce safety practices. Few published studies evaluate the effect of produce safety training on produce growers, indicating that there are challenges in conducting such evaluations. Proper evaluation is imperative for demonstrating the importance of produce safety training at reducing the risk of foodborne disease.