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. 2015 Jul;57(7):718-25.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000476.

Estimating Occupational Illness, Injury, and Mortality in Food Production in the United States: A Farm-to-Table Analysis

Kira L Newman  1 , Juan S Leon, Lee S Newman
Affiliations

Estimating Occupational Illness, Injury, and Mortality in Food Production in the United States: A Farm-to-Table Analysis

Kira L Newman et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: The study provides a novel model and more comprehensive estimates of the burden of occupational morbidity and mortality in food-related industries, using a farm-to-table approach.

Methods: The authors analyzed 2008 to 2010 US Bureau of Labor Statistics data for private industries in the different stages of the farm-to-table model (production, processing, distribution and storage, and retail and preparation).

Results: The morbidity rate for food system industries was significantly higher than the morbidity rate for nonfood system industries (rate ratio = 1.62; 95% confidence interval = 1.30 to 2.01). Furthermore, the occupational mortality rate for food system industries was significantly higher than the national nonfood occupational mortality rate (rate ratio = 9.51; 95% confidence interval = 2.47 to 36.58).

Conclusions: This is the first use of the farm-to-table model to assess occupational morbidity and mortality, and these findings highlighting specific workplace hazards across food system industries.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of pathway of food from farm to table with examples of generic industry categories within each stage.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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