EFFICACY OF INTERVENTION ON THE SPREAD OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV-2) IN FARMERS MARKETS/FOOD BANKS FROM PRODUCE GROWN BY LOCAL PRODUCERS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a strain on the national food supply chain due to people in the supply chain being vulnerable to becoming ill. One response may be a trend towards local food production to deal with breaks in the national food supply chain, as large producers / processing plants are dependent on migrant laborers who are at greater risk. Local producers also service restaurants, farmers markets, and food banks, all which have been devastatingly affected but need to re-open. Pressing concerns have been raised by various small producers and farmers markets in Arizona. In order to address these concerns, our specific project goals will be: 1) To determine the ability of coronaviruses including the COVID-19 virus to survive on various surfaces found in farmers markets, including those found in both the worker and customer environments (for example, packing areas and customer areas), 2) To determine the effectiveness of commonly used disinfectants on these surfaces against coronaviruses including the COVID-19 virus, 3) To conduct risk assessments of workers and customers who are exposed to these potentially contaminated surfaces in farmers markets or in food banks based on the data from the first two goals, and 4) To provide recommendations to small producers and farmers markets related to these issues for immediate implementation (for example,which sanitizers/disinfectants to use and at what frequency and concentration). Such information will be necessary going forward in order to keep both customers and workers safe in farmers markets and in the food banks to which they donate. We will work closely with participating small producers and farmers market personnel throughout the entire course of the study to solicit feedback and to disseminate information including recommendations for immediate use. This information will be made available to the public through Cooperative Extension publications, through the University of Arizona's Food Safety Consortium's website/social media, and through presentations at conferences.