There’s a lot of benefits and risks when it comes to the farm-to-table market. Sometimes the risks
will outweigh the benefits. Logically it seems like a “healthier” option, but there’s a lot that can go
wrong. But as long as one stays on top of things, the farm-to-table process will work not only for
restaurants, but for grocery stores.
In order to be able to keep on top of things, we need to know what risks there out there. That way
we are able to meet them head on with solutions to make fixes or changes necessary. One
potential risk is genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Although it is something that has been
done for years, there are some concerns. Globally, international food authorities are concerned that
GMO foods could have potential effects on human allergies and antibiotic resistance (Poll, 2016).
When a study went out about how people feel about knowing if the products in which they
purchased had GMOs, a very limited amount cared. So, in a way, the presence of GMOs is not a
major concern of consumers. But in order to keep them in check, The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has published guidelines that companies can use to inform consumers about
products derived from genetically engineered food (Poll, 2016).
Another risk to watch out for is product recalls. About one in every six people in the United States
gets sick from food-borne illnesses annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Some of those illnesses are the result of pathogens that spread easily among raw fruits
and vegetables (leafy greens and cantaloupes are among the most well-known) (Poll, 2016).
However, the chances of having certain cross contamination can lessen when dealing with locally
sourced produce because they are not coming from a massed produced facility. But at the same
time, you have to be careful on how far you are willing to go for locally sourced foods because not
all products can be produced in all areas, leading back to needing to go to mass produced facilities.
There is also an area of risk that some people don’t even think about, and that’s a cyber risk. b Like
other professionals in the digital age, farmers rely on computers to help manage their crops and
livestock, operate machinery, communicate with suppliers, accept credit card payments from
customers, and keep track of finances and billing. But with computers comes the potential risk of a
data breach, which may result in confidential customer information being accessed by hackers (Poll,
2016). This could cause some major issues, not only for the farmer, but for the customers.
These are just a few risks that could arise. And of course, there is always some sort of solution that
can be found if one were to happen. Being able to work closely with farmers in the area is key to a
successful farm-to-table process. This is still a rather “new” idea that people are starting to push
for more and more, so there will be bumps in the road during the process. It is an idea I would
support and try to work with as long as both the farmer and grocery store benefit from this type of
concept.
References:
Poll, Kevin (2016, March 7). From farm to table” The new risks facing today’s farmers. Verisk.
https://www.verisk.com/insurance/visualize/from-farm-to-table-the-new-risks-facing-today-s-
farmers/
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