Food Safetyprotecting those you serve

1,000,000

familyfarmed.org

(Good Agricultural Practices)

GAP’s

A voluntary program to reduce the risks of microbial contamination of fruit and vegetables

required by many major grocery stores and wholesale distributors

http://extension.psu.edu/food/safety

HASSP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

applies to processed Food

usually for large companies and processors

focuses on prevention, not reaction

is based on sound science

FSMA- Food Safety and

Modernization ActGovernment program overseen by the FDA

Tiered compliance based on sales totals.

Has several major flaws relating to irrigation water, farm categorization, and manure and compost management.

Compliance mandatory starting in 2017, but tiered based on farm size.

FSMA-

2 part law- Part 1 regulates the growing of specific crops, Part 2 regulates facilities that manufacture, process, or hold human food

Certain crops are exempt from part one, most notably- Beets, pumpkin, sweet corn, winter squash, sweet potatoes

Headache factor of this law is huge.

More info.. From Vern Grubinger at UVM

UNH Extension has a lot of good summary info: http://extension.unh.edu/FSMA-What-do-you-need-know

Produce Rule Compliance Dates: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334114.htm

What Vermont is doing- highly recommended https://practicalproducesafetyvt.wordpress.com/

Vern’s diatribe about the proposed rules: http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/FourFlawsFSMA.pdf

This will all be on blog including vern’s notes

Develop an On-Farm Food Safety Plan

Risk assessment of specific areas of the farm

Documentation of practices and policies

SOP’s (standard operating procedures)

Land Use History

water test results (field and packhorse)

records, logs, etc

Areas of potential Risk… and tips for improving

them

Document, document

makes sure everyone is following the plan

allows you to reduce liability, in case you are part of a larger outbreak

collect information to evaluate on-farm processes

promotes a culture of accountability.

Have a written plan…

for everything

Worker Health and Hygiene

provide clean bathrooms and running potable water to wash with

provide training on proper hand washing

sick employees should be sent home

care for cuts and injuries right away

policy on smoking, employee breaks, etc

Previous and Present Land Use

what was on this property before?

has it been flooded?

what is adjacent? upstream, upslope or upwind?

Heavy metal tests, pesticide testing

Agricultural Water

use potable water within 2 weeks of harvest (especially where water comes in contact with the edible part)

test water for possible Bacterial or chemical contamination

water management plan for farm

what is upstream?

Processing Water

change tank water frequently

use appropriate sanitizer

pre-wash dirty vegetables before hydro-cooling

10 degree F rule (wash water not more than 10 degrees colder than vegetables)

Chemicalsjust because you are using organic chemicals doesn't mean that you don’t need to follow label

chemicals should be stored in own locked area, far from processing and vegetable storage

post chemical spill information

employees applying chemicals should be properly trained and have license.

Animal and Pest control

keep all animals out of production fields and processing areas.

almost all pathogens start with animals, especially E. Coli and Salmonella

use fencing, netting, scare balloons, distress calls, etc. to keep animals at bay

have a written plan if contamination happens

Cattle, pigs, chickens, and domestic animals pose increased threats

for contamination.

Manure and Compost

one of the top areas of concern

Raw manure should not be applied within 120 days of harvest.

Compost should be hot composted (131-170 degrees) for up to 15 days

we use a lot of leaf mold for our farm

Trace backyou should be able to look at a case and know what it is, when, where, and who was responsible to harvest it, and where it is going.

we use the code HW/RCAR/GV/220/15 (Name of buyer/product code/field/Julian day of year/year

We also keep employee logs, that tell us who is on the harvest crews and who is in the packhouse

Field harvestingKeep product cool and in shade

field heat removed as quickly as possible

do not harvest from possibly contaminated areas (animal damage, puddles or flooding, equipment fluid spillage)

keep stocks of field supplies near at hand (rubberbands, twist ties, boxes, etc)

bins should be cleanable, impervious.

keep harvest bins, knives, etc clean

Packing house concerns

lights, fixtures, windows covered or protected from breakage

walls should be of material that can be washed and sanitized.

area should be well-lit and clean, with washable floors.

Final Product Transport

Impervious bin or keep on pallet

temperature controlled vehicles

Think about cold chain requirements.

food safety resources

www.onfarmfoodsafety.com

www.gaps.cornell.edu

postharvest.ucdavis.edu

http://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-50772_51097-275514--,00.html