(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
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.
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
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
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