Food Safety Tips for School Gardens

Schools are using gardens to help children discover where food comes from and to develop healthy eating habits. Gardens provide a way for children to grow, harvest, prepare, and ultimately taste new fruits and vegetables. When appropriate precautions are taken fruits and vegetables from school gardens can be served safely to students. Potential food safety risks should be taken seriously. Produce grown in gardens can be contaminated during growth, harvest, transportation, preparation, or service and result in foodborne illness.

The USDA is a great resource for information on school garden food safety.