Microbial Risk Analysis of Produce Grown on a Sustainable Chicken Production Farming System

Sustainable agriculture encourages the use of organic fertilizers instead of synthesized chemicals, and poultry manure can be recycled as an economical organic fertilizer due to its high nutrient content. However, fruits and vegetables in direct contact wi th manure - fertilized soil can easily be contaminated by coliforms and food - borne pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia. coli., and Listeria spp . These human pathogens may lead to serious food - borne disease outbreaks in susceptible individuals (e.g . children, the elderly, pregnant women, or immunocompromised), making them a concern for sustainable farming using poultry manure. In this study, we tested for the presence of coliforms and the aforementioned pathogens in soil samples collected from a sus tainable farming system in Minnesota over five months in 2015, and analyzed the risk of microbial contamination on spinach and cantaloupes grown in this soil. Overall, this study identified those additional control parameters, such as heat/chemical treatme nt of poultry manure, should be implemented into the practice of sustainable farming using chicken manure to improve the food safety of produce items.