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A soil amendment refers to any material added to the soil to improve its physical or chemical properties. With fresh fruits and vegetables, food safety concerns are most often associated with biological contamination by pathogens in manure-based soil amendments. However, chemical hazards associated with inorganic fertilizers can represent a chemical risk to crops as well as to those who apply the fertilizers. Many inorganic fertilizers are federally regulated so the first rule is to always follow the label because the label is the law. Proper storage practices and controlling access to these chemicals is also important to meet federal requirements and reduce the chance of chemical contamination on the farm.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture
