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Food Safety &

Packingshed Design

Teresa Wiemerslage

ISU Extension and Outreach –Local Foods Team

wiemer@iastate.edu

(563) 794-0599

The Group GAP Advantage:

• GroupGAP makes food safety certification accessible for small and middle-sized producers by allowing farmers, food hubs, and other marketing organizations to work together to undergo GAP certification as a group.

• This allows group members to pool resources to implement food safety training programs and share the cost of certification.

Group GAP Overview:

1. A group is a collection of farms that are organized under a leadership team who manages a Quality Management System (QMS), which oversees the group’s activity (Iowa Food Hub or IFH)

2. The group’s leadership assigns internal auditors, who are trained by the USDA to inspect using the same audit standards as the USDA

3. Every farm in the group is inspected by an internal auditor each year, and receives at least one unannounced audit.

Group GAP Overview, continued:

4. instead of auditing every farm at the farmer’s expense, the USDA audits a portion of the farms in the group, serving as a representation of all the farms in the group. They also review the audits of the internal auditors.

5. USDA also audits the group’s QMS for evidence that the system is working. Once the farm audits and group audits are complete, the entire group receives Group GAP certification.

6. Learn more: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/groupgap

2016 Farms:

1. River Root Farm, 2.5 acres

2. Gordon’s Gardens, 1 acre

3. Kymar Acres, 2.5 acres

4. Nature Haven Farm, 2 acres

5. Luther College Farm, 2 acres

6. Iowa Food Hub facility

More than “Cheaper”

• Expert and peer coaching increases compliance

• Motivation for “continuous improvement”

• Less like “farmer vs. auditor”

• A system instead of a snapshot in time

• A “culture of food safety” and a culture of quality

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1. Washing?

2. Sanitizing?

3. Sorting?

4. Packing?

5. By Hand or Machine

6. Existing building or new

7. Enclosed or not

What do you want to do?

What assets do you have?

FSMA Produce Rule:

112.121 What buildings are subject to the requirements of this subpart?

Buildings subject to the requirements of this subpart include:

(a) Any fully- or partially-enclosed building used for covered activities, including

minimal structures that have a roof but do not have any walls; and

(b) Storage sheds, buildings, or other structures used to store food contact surfaces

(such as harvest containers and food-packing materials).

FSMA Produce Rule:

112.126. What requirements apply to my BUILDINGS?

(a) All of the following requirements apply regarding buildings:

(1) Buildings must be suitable in size, construction, and design to facilitate

maintenance and sanitary operations for covered activities to reduce the

potential for contamination of covered produce or food contact surfaces

with known or reasonably foreseeable hazards.

(2) You must provide adequate drainage in all areas where normal operations

release or discharge water or other liquid waste on the ground or floor of the

building.

(b) You must implement measures to prevent contamination of your covered

produce and food contact surfaces in your buildings, as appropriate, considering the

potential for such contamination through:

(1) Floors, walls, ceilings, fixtures, ducts, or pipes; and

(2) Drip or condensate.

1. Roof for shade and protection from the elements (walls optional)

2. Designated space. Not shared with machines, repair or storage areas.

3. Potable water

4. Restroom facilities (can be in the house)

5. Designated handwashing station.

6. System to clean and sanitize equipment and tools

7. Pest control program (rodents, flies, birds, bugs and pets).

8. Cold storage unless shipping immediately after cooling or if you are

harvesting moderate to low respiration crops

9. Cleanable food contact surfaces

10. Safe, clean area to stand. Beware of slippery concrete surfaces or areas

that can become muddy.

10 Requirements for Packing Shed

What do you want to do?

What assets do you have? 1. Roof

2. Designated space

3. � Potable water

4. � Restroom

5. Handwashing station

6. Cleaning System

7. Pest control program

8. Cold storage

9. Food contact surfaces

10. Clean floor

� All farms use potable well

water for washing.

� All farms use house

bathrooms or field sanitation

units with handwashing

stations.

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1. GAP certified 4 years

2. On-farm processing kitchen

3. Family labor

4. Field production

5. Chemical-free

6. Washing and packing

7. Livestock on-site

8. Sell to farmers markets, food

hub and their kitchen

Tale of Three Farms

Farm #1

1. �Roof **

2. � Designated space

3. � Potable water

4. � Restroom

5. Handwashing station

6. Cleaning System

7. Pest control program

8. Cold storage

9. Food contact surfaces

10. � Concrete floor

Farm #1

1. Roof

7. Pest control program

8. Cold Storage

Farm #1

5. Handwashing station

• Soap

• Water

• Towels

• Trash

Farm #1

6. Cleaning system

9. Food contact surfaces

Farm #1

1. GAP certified 2 years

2. Farmstand with kitchen

3. Family labor

4. Chemical-free

5. Field and high tunnel

6. Primarily field harvest

7. Livestock on-site

8. Sell to farmers markets,

nursing homes, their

farmstore

Farm #2

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Farm 2

1. Roof

2. Designated space

10. Gravel floor

• Packing shed has a screen door =

enclosed

• Field packs into bags or containers

• Uses totes and lids to keep

packaging off the ground

Farm #2

1. Roof

2. Designated space

10. Gravel floor

6. Cleaning system

9. Food contact surfaces

5. Handwashing Station

Farm #2

1. Not GAP certified

2. New packingshed in 2016

3. Family and hired labor

4. Certified organic

5. Field and high tunnel

6. Washing and packing

7. Livestock on-site

8. Sell to farmers markets,

restaurants, food coop

Farm #3

1. Roof. Walls optional.

2. Designated space

10. Concrete floor

1. Roof. Walls optional.

1. Roof

7. Pest Control System

Lights in sleeves

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1. Roof

7. Pest Control System

Lights in sleeves

Cleanable surfaces

8. Cold Storage

10. Clean floors

Idea Sharing

Sinks Handwashing Stations

Drains Signs tell your policies

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Convenient recordkeeping Clean tools and containers

Cold Storage

Resources

https://www.youtube.com/iowafoodandfitness

Leopold Center Cool Tools

www.leopold.iastate.edu

http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/cool_tools/wash_stations1

U of WI Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits tipsheets

http://bse.wisc.edu/HFHP/tipveggy.htm

Atina Diffley

http://atinadiffley.com/food-safety-and-post-harvest-handling/

Iowa Food Hub GroupGAP

www.iowafoodhub.com