Photo: USDA / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Soil Wealth: This guide describes how fresh produce growers can use compost without affecting their food safety assurance program. Compost is a mixture of recycled organic materials that have been processed by natural organisms, breaking down the original materials into a usable form. Compost has many benefits for soil. It can feed plants, stimulate beneficial microbes, improve soil structure and help the soil retain nutrients, water and warmth.

However, compost is also a potential source of microbial, chemical and physical contamination. Human pathogens in manure, heavy metals in sewage sludge and plastics left in green waste bins all have the potential to contaminate growing sites and fresh produce.

Read the full article at the Soil Wealth website