Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024 - 283

Amy Pezoldt,1 Karen McGilvery,2
Kevin Brown,2
Amarat Simonne,1* and Kimberly Wiley2
1
2
Alicia Papanek,2
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Food Protection Trends, Vol 44, No. 4, p. 283-291
https://doi.org/10.1111/FPT-23-038
Dept. of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, 3026 McCarthy Hall D,
P.O. Box 110310, Gainesville, FL 32600-0310, USA
Nonprofit and Advocacy Research Lab, Dept. of Family, Youth and Community Sciences,
University of Florida, 3002 McCarthy Hall D, P.O. Box 110310, Gainesville, FL 32600-0310, USA
Copyright©
2024, International Association for Food Protection
2900 100th Street, Suite 309, Des Moines, IA 50322-3855, USA
Ensuring Food Safety among Food and
Agricultural Nonprofit Organizations: A Review of
Literature about Challenges and Opportunities
ABSTRACT
Food and agricultural nonprofit organizations (FANOs)
are a critical part of the food supply chain, requiring
evaluation of their food safety assurance within the
production, preparation, and distribution of food. This
article provides an overview of literature and policy
surrounding food safety in nonprofit organizations,
particularly FANOs, and proposes opportunities and
challenges in FANO research. It addresses the prevalent
risks of foodborne illnesses associated with FANOs with
poor food safety practices. Three specific problem areas
that need to be better addressed in FANO research were
revealed. First, poor food safety practices in FANOs can
lead to food loss and waste. Second, inadequate food
safety behaviors and practices among volunteers are
a unique issue that FANOs face due to high volunteer
turnover and reduced training time. And third, there is a
large disparity between who is regulating and enforcing
food safety in FANOs. Potential research questions and
methodological limitations of conducting research on each
problem area are proposed.
OVERVIEW
The assurance of food safety is the shared responsibility
of all entities along the food supply chain, from producers
to consumers (4). This includes nonprofits responsible
for addressing hunger, reducing food waste, and educating
populations on nutrition and food safety. Food safety
policies, regulations, and practices vary from state to state,
highlighting the complex challenges and costs associated
with food safety compliance (27). With longer and
industrialized food supply chains, inadequate food safety
practices by producers and distributors may cause pathogens
to grow and spread in the community, such as through poor
transportation and storage practices during food recovery
and distribution (13, 32, 44, 58). With such a heavy reliance
on food assistance in the United States, how to safely increase
the use of donated or unsaleable foods requires attention
(32). It is important for food and agricultural nonprofits
(FANOs) to understand the essential concepts of food safety
(i.e., pathogens that emerge, why, and in what contexts)
to ensure that food is delivered safely and without excess
waste. With an understanding of the risks associated with
*Author(s) for correspondence: Phone: +1 352.273.3536; Fax: +1 352.392.8196; Email: asim@ufl.edu; Kimberly Wiley: Email: kimberlywiley@ufl.edu
July/August Food Protection Trends 283

https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/jul-aug-24-Simonne.pdf https://www.doi.org/10.1111/FPT-23-038

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024

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