researchers found produce safety pr

researchers found produce safety practices increased time and
money costs among smaller growers (see Hardesty and Kusunose,
2009 for examples in California, Becot et al., 2012 for examples in
Vermont). Others point to the development of barriers to small and
medium scale grower participation in larger markets (DeLind and
Howard, 2008).
As large incidents of foodborne illnesses continue, grower
skepticism of the effectiveness of food safety programs has grown,
which is likely to translate into hesitation among growers to adopt
new standards or practices. Nonetheless, influential food safety
experts have become prominent voices in asserting the key to a
safer food system is increased regulation at the farm level (Vergano,
2006; Weise, 2006). This is notwithstanding that approximately
seventeen-percent of produce-related food-borne illnesses have
been attributed to farms; the remaining incidents are attributed to
processors and consumer practices in the home (Gagliardi et al.,
2003). Industry discourse has been shaped by experts who
implied or openly proclaimed that smaller scale growers are a
concern:
It's not the big guys that worry me at night, but the medium
guys, who don't understand all the risks … the big companies
understand this better and have effective sanitation programs in
place, but small and medium players often do not understand
that it's a big vulnerability