Keeping food safe at your local farm direct markets

Food safety tips for Oregon food producersOregon Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Division

Overview of presentation

• Why we care about food safety?

• Handle with care• Handwashing• Preparing for market• Safe sampling

• Additional guidelines and market requirements

• Product labeling• Licensing• Contact information

Why we care about food safety at farmers’ markets?

• Foodborne illnesses are seasonal and peak during market time.Cases of foodborne disease caused by specific pathogens,by month, FoodNet sites, 20041

1FoodNet Surveillance Report for 2004. CDC Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network. June 2006.

Why we care about food safety at farmers’ markets?

• Foodborne illness outbreaks commonly start at the market with poor worker hygiene and food safety practices.– Ill food workers– Improper handwashing– Room temperature food storage

2007 Outbreak Risk Factors

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Ill foodworker

Bare hand contact

Contaminated raw product

Slow coolingHandwashingUnknown

Cross contamination from raw animal product

Room temp storage

Cold holding

Glove hand contact (x-contamin)

Inadequate cleaning

Ingesting contaminated raw product

Inadequate cookingToxic Substance

Preparing food in advance

Hot holding

Inadequate reheating

Storage in contam. environment

Risk Factor

No. of Outbreaks

Washington State Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

*Courtesy of Washington Department of Health

Why we care about food safety at farmers’ markets?

You don’t want customers to get sick!

Handle with care

• Levels of handling

• Package safely

• Keep food off the ground

• Wrap or cover

• Keep food hot or cold

• How to keep food cold

Levels of handling care

• Strictest: potentially hazardous foods – cheese, meat, poultry, milk, eggs, seafood, salsa, cut

produce, cooked food.– Keep food off the ground, protected, and COLD.

• Middle: product not easily washed by consumers – breads, baked goods, kettle corn, canned jams and

jellies, honey.– Keep food off the ground and protected.

• Least restrictive: fresh produce, in-shell nuts– Keep food off the ground.

Package safely

• Food packages – Make sure packages are in good condition

– Should protect contents from adulteration and contamination

• Vacuum packing – Only appropriate for smoked fish, not fresh fish.

• Cooked seafood (ex. whole crabs) – Can be sold on ice

– Must have a barrier to prevent customers from touching

Keep food off the ground

• Use plastic tubs

• Put empty crates under produce

Protect food: cover or wrap Wrap: package

items in a licensed facility before bringing to market.

Protect food: cover or wrap Cover: keep items in completely enclosed bulk

bin display.– Provide a handwash setup.– Wash hands before handling food.– Use clean tongs, wax paper, or single-use gloves to

remove items from bins.

Keep food cold or hot

• Food to keep cold or hot:– meat and poultry– seafood and shellfish– eggs and dairy products– previously cooked food– bakery items with high water contents (cheesecake)– some foods containing any of the above ingredients

• Keep cold samples ≤41°F. • Keep hot samples ≥130°F.• Use thermometers to monitor food temperatures.

How to keep food cold

• Use ice chests or other containers with clean ice, dry ice or ice packs to keep product cool.

• Avoid contaminating food with dirty ice water by draining melted ice.

• Surround food with ice, especially on hot days. Do not just lay food on an ice surface.

Handwashing

• When to setup a temporary handwash station

• How to setup a temporary handwash station

• When to wash your hands• How to wash your hands• Other considerations

When to setup a temporary handwash station

You need a handwash station if you are:

• sampling

• handling bulk-dispensed or unwrapped products

How to setup a temporary handwash station

Setup:

• Closed five gallon container with hands free dispensing spigot

• Warm, potable water

• Soap

• Single-use paper towels

• Wastewater catch basin

* Spigot needs to stay open to allow a constant flow of water for two-hand washing* Container must hold enough water for duration of market day

Sample handwash setup

When to wash your hands

• Before you – handle or prepare food.

• After you– use the toilet– touch animals – cough or sneeze – smoke, eat, or drink– handle dirty equipment or utensils

• Between when you– handle raw and ready-to-eat foods.

How to wash your hands1. Wet hands with warm

running water2. Apply soap 3. Thoroughly rub hands

together for at least 20 seconds, scrubbing all surfaces

4. Rinse with clean, running water

5. Dry hands6. Turn off the water*University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Services

Other considerations

• Hand sanitizers and moist towelettes DO NOT replace the need for handwashing.

• Before using single-use gloves, wash your hands.

• When switching tasks, wash your hands and switch gloves.

Preparing for market

• Clean food

• Clean tools

• Cleaning food contact surfaces

• Sanitizers

Start with clean food

• Thoroughly rinse fruits and vegetables in cool potable water before cutting. This removes dirt, soil, and other contaminants.

• Do not use other chemicals to rinse produce unless they are approved to use on food.

Clean Tools: knives, cutting boards, spoons, plates, bowls

• Equipment and utensils must be easily cleanable and in good condition– Impervious and nonabsorbent materials– Free of cracks

• Utensils must be stored: – covered during transit to market and when not in use.– in ice or in product with the handles above top of the food between

uses.

• Utensils not stored in ice or product should be cleaned and sanitized between uses.

Cleaning food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils

1. Wash: wash and scrub with hot, soapy water.

2. Rinse: rinse with warm, clean water.

3. Sanitize: immerse for two minutes in lukewarm water containing the correct concentration of an approved sanitizer.

4. Air dry: allow to air dry without wiping.

Sanitizers

• Mix:– Household bleach:

1/2 tablespoon per gallon of water = 50-100 ppm

– Quaternary ammonium: 1 tablespoon per gallon of water = 200 ppm (or mix as manufacturer recommends)

• Monitor sanitizer concentrations w/ test strips.• Mix can last up to four hours.

Sanitizer tips

• More is not necessarily better!

• Bleach dissipates over time.

• Spray bottles hold sanitizer concentration longer.

Safe sampling

• Sample protection• Cross-contamination• Sampling design• Successful sampling

setups• Sampling examples

Sample protection

• Cover samples when not actively sampling (examples, containers with hinged lids, sneeze guards, glass domes).

• Wash your hands.

• Prevent contamination by the customer.

Cross-contamination

• Separate foods to insure there is no cross-contamination between– raw meats, poultry or seafood and ready-to-eat foods – between two different types of raw meat, poultry or

seafood

• Equipment must be cleaned and sanitized between uses if the same equipment is used for sampling both.

• Clean and sanitize all raw meat equipment immediately after preparing these foods.

Sampling design

• Design sampling setup to prevent customers from touching other’s samples.

• Use disposable single use utensils for distributing samples (paper cups, toothpicks, wax paper, plastic spoons).

• Have waste basket for single use items available.

Successful sampling setups• Capped squeeze bottle (honey)

• Modified shaker bottle (nuts, grapes)– Shakes out a limited number of items

• Bulk liquid container (juice)– Pour into single use cup from a closed container with down-

facing, self-closing spout

• Small sample cup (jams, dips, salsa, popcorn)– Cups are filled by vendor for individual distribution

Successful sampling setups

• Covered serving dish (dips, salsa, jams)– Vendor uses single use spoon to scoop sample from a covered

container that opens towards the vendor

• Foods with individual toothpicks (sliced produce)

• Sneeze guards– Must be of big enough to intercept fluids and contaminants

from the public

Sample setup

Sample setup

Customers use tongs to pick out own sample and samples stay protected.

Sample setup

Vendor spoons samples for customers.

Sample setup

Each sample has an individual toothpick, discouraging contamination.

Sample setup

Toothpicks are available but customers may still use their hands.

Sample setup

Toothpicks are available but customers may still use their hands.

Sample setup

Sample setup

Bad sample setups

Additional guidelines and market requirements

• Licenses– Vendors requiring licenses must have licenses on hand.

• Animals – Keep animals at least 20 feet from any food handling, display, or

storage.

• Toilet facilities – Provide clean and convenient toilet facilities.– Locate handwashing facilities nearby.

• Waste water– Dispose of waste water in an approved manner. – Do not dump down stormwater drains.

Product labeling• All packaged foods must be

labeled with:– Name of product

– Net weight in both standard (lbs) and metric (g)

– Ingredients in descending order by weight, including sub-ingredients

– Producer or distributor’s name and address including city, state, and zip.

Product labeling

• Bulk food items must have ingredient information available to the customer by:– Posting ingredients on bulk bins.– Posting a sign reading “ingredients available

upon request”

Contact for further informationFood Safety Division 635 Capitol St. NESalem, OR 97301(503) 986-4720 phonehttp://oregon.gov/ODA/FSD

Agricultural Development and Marketing Divisionhttp://oregon.gov/ODA/ADMD

Measurements Standards Divisionhttp://oregon.gov/ODA/MSD

Commodity Inspection Divisionhttp://oregon.gov/ODA/CID

Oregon Department of Agriculturehttp://oregon.gov/ODA

Oregon Farmer’s Market Associationhttp://www.oregonfarmersmarkets.org

Oregon Guide to Farm-Direct Marketing http://oregon.gov/ODA/pub_fd_toc.shtml

ODA license databasehttp://www.oregon.gov/ODA/license.shtml

County health departments directoryhttp://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/lhd/lbd.shtml