An Assessment of Produce Growers' Sanitizer Practices and Knowledge about Antimicrobial Resistance

Introduction: Bacteria isolated from triple-washed, bagged, ready-to-eat leafy vegetables have been shown to possess antimicrobial resistance. Sanitizers used in produce washing may select for survival of resistant strains. Use of sanitizers in produce washing is a common practice. There is little known about how much produce growers understand about antimicrobial resistance and how their practices could influence antimicrobial resistance. It is critical to understand growers’ sanitizer use practices and their knowledge of how these practices impact antimicrobial resistance in order to develop effective educational materials and fill knowledge gaps.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how produce growers utilize sanitizers in their operations, and to assess their general knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.

Methods: A survey was delivered to produce growers at grower meetings conducted by Virginia Cooperative Extension across Virginia. The tool inquired about their sanitizer use, as well as their understanding of antimicrobial resistance. Growers were, also, asked about their preferred delivery method for educational materials.

Results: Growers surveyed (n=61) generally understand that antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern (61%). However, their understanding of how using sanitizers to wash fresh produce impacts antimicrobial resistance was less clear. Chlorine was the most common sanitizer used (65%), and the most common application method used to deliver sanitizer was through a spray bar (47.8%). Ninety-one percent of growers received sanitizer information from a chemical representative or local extension agent and 78% indicated extension agents and growers meetings as their preferred source for education.

Significance: It is clear that there are some knowledge gaps with this population related to how their practices impact antimicrobial resistance. Results demonstrate the importance of Extension as a delivery system for fresh produce growers. Extension agents could be used to deliver information on how using sanitizers can reduce antimicrobial resistance in the food supply.