This Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the Local Food Safety Collaborative and National Farmers Union want to honor the contributions of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx farmers and farmworkers across the nation. Key to the success of the agriculture and food industry in the U.S., members of this community work hard to ensure access to a safe and abundant food supply for all.

Food safety starts on the farm, and the country’s Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx producers are on the front lines of preventing foodborne illness. From field to fork, they play a key role in growing, harvesting, and packing fruits and vegetables, helping fresh produce farming operations meet food safety requirements.

Access to culturally appropriate content and resources is essential to providing education and training on food safety best practices and risk reduction. As part of their work with the FDA-funded Local Food Safety Collaborative, project partner Tilth Alliance produced a Spanish-language food safety podcast episode of their Farm Walks series, highlighting Silva Family Farm owned by Pablo Silva, a farmer originally from Mexico who operates his farm in Washington State. Meanwhile, project partners under National Farmers Union USDA Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) award supported the translation of essential food safety resources into Spanish, with Minnesota Farmers Union working with University of Minnesota Extension to make key food safety factsheets available in Spanish. Iowa Farmers Union is also supporting Iowa State University Research and Extension in the development and translation of a 10-part food safety video and factsheet series that will be made available in Spanish. In addition to resources, Iowa Farmers Union piloted a partnership with Proteus Inc, an organization that provides migrant farmworkers with education assistance and job training, to provide these essential workers access to Spanish-language on-the-farm food safety training. Acknowledging that not all Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx farmers and farmworkers speak Spanish or may have other learning barriers, Cornell University is developing a set of illustrations that demonstrate fundamental food safety concepts as part of their work with the Local Food Safety Collaborative.

It is with continued appreciation and gratitude that we acknowledge the work of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx farmers and farmworkers. The Local Food Safety Collaborative and National Farmers Union hope to continue to respond to the food safety education and training needs of this community.


For more Spanish-language information on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and resources, please visit the Produce Safety Alliance website. For general food safety resources, check the Local Food Safety Collaborative website along with the Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse for a curated source of food safety guides, factsheets, templates, and more. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the latest food safety news.


This project website is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award 1U01FD006921-01 totaling $1,000,000 with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

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