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School gardens are a wonderful way to educate students on growing and eating nutritious fruits and vegetables. Good gardening practices should include produce safety risk-reduction measures and emphasize concepts that will help students make healthier, fresh food choices. Human pathogens can be unknowingly transferred from the environment or from an ill person, potentially causing illness in those who eat contaminated produce. Specific practices to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen contamination in the garden are discussed. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension On-Farm Food Safety Team developed a simple-to-use checklist to help teachers and school staff make decisions about safe gardening practices. Click on the link below to read more about food safety in the school garden and utilize the safe gardening checklist.
FS1345: School Garden Produce Safety Good Gardening Practices Checklist (Rutgers NJAES)