Slide 2 The New Food Safety Law Will Affect Your Farm Business
An Overview Mary Lamberts UF Miami-Dade County Extension Slide 3
Overview of the Presentation Why are food safety regulations for
fruits & vegetables important? How will the Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA) affect my farm and packinghouse?
Components of an on-farm food safety program: Good Agricultural
Practices (GAPs) FSMA/GAPs resources Slide 4 What is Food Safety?
Food safety is the science of keeping food safe from farm to fork
Safe food is free of all biological, chemical, physical and
environmental hazards or contaminations For the consumer, this
means produce is safe to eat Food safety describes the conditions
and practices that are used to prevent contamination and foodborne
illnesses Slide 5 Why is Food Safety Important? Foodborne illness
is a significant problem About 48 million (1 in 6 Americans) get
sick each year 128,000 are hospitalized 3,000 die
Immune-compromised individuals more susceptible Infants and
children, pregnant women, older individuals, those on chemotherapy
Source: CDC 2011 Report: http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/2011-
foodborne-estimates.html Slide 6 Why is Food Safety Important? 2012
Produce Outbreaks Spinach and spring mix (?) 5 states Escherichia
coli O157:H7 Mangoes (Mexico) 15 states Salmonella Braenderup
Cantaloupe 24 states Salmonella Typhimurium and Newport Raw clover
sprouts, restaurant chain 11 states (2 facilities, but 1 seed lot)
Escherichia coli O26 producesafety.osu.edu Slide 7 Why is Food
Safety Important? 2011 Produce Outbreaks Romaine lettuce (salad
bar; 1 farm, 1 distributor) 10 states Escherichia coli O157:H7
Turkish pine nuts 5 states Salmonella Enteritidis Colorado
Cantaloupes 28 states 147 illnesses; 30 deaths Listeria
monocytogenes Papayas (Mexico) 25 states Salmonella Agona
news.ucdavis.edu pages.uoregon.edu hort.purdue.edu Slide 8 Why is
Food Safety Important? 2011 Produce Outbreaks (cont.) Alfalfa and
spicy sprouts (Idaho) Salmonella Enteritidis Travel to Germany -
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O104 Acknowledged to be one of the
most inept government investigations in recent history Associated
(eventually) with German sprouts but in the meantime, destroyed the
Spanish cucumber industry for the season Guatemalan Cantaloupe 10
states Salmonella Panama
(http://www.cdc.gov/outbreaknet/outbreaks.h tml)
producesafety.osu.edu Slide 9 Why YOU need to worry about food
safety Examples of earlier outbreaks, including costs Slide 10 2006
E. coli: 5 people died; 205 were hospitalized across 23 states The
outbreak ended up costing the spinach industry $350 million, and a
large number of customers 1 year later, sales of spinach nationally
were still down by 20% Spinach Slide 11 DateCropPathogenCases
Oct-00Cherry tomatoesCalicivirus34 May-01TomatoesShigella
flexneri886 Jul-02Tomatoes Salmonella Javiana 141
Jun-04TomatoesSalmonella spp.429 Jun-04TomatoesS. Braenderup125
Jul-04TomatoesS. Javiana7 Sept-06TomatoesSamonella spp.172
Sept-06TomatoesSalmonella Typhimurium 183 Outbreaks on Tomatoes:
2000 - 2005 www.foodsafety.ksu.edu/ Slide 12 1 month after the
erroneous tomato warning, FDA issued one for peppers A total of
1,400 people were reported as infected, though the number was
probably much higher The cost to the tomato industry was $100
million in Florida and $14 million in Georgia Tomatoes 2008
Salmonella Stpaul outbreak CDC first learned about the it May 22,
2008 when there were 19 cases
http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/files/146257.pdf Slide 13 2011 Raw clover
sprouts: A total of 25 individuals infected with the outbreak
strain of E. coli O26 have been reported from 8 states 2010 Clover
& alfalfa sprouts: 2 outbreaks with 7 + 140 sickened with
Salmonella serotype I4,[5],12:i: 2009 Alfalfa sprouts: 256 sickened
by six isolates of Salmonella Saintpaul Sprouts Slide 14 What else
do we know about food safety? Slide 15 What Type of Produce Makes
People Sick? Source: Food Safety Begins on the Farm Slide 16
Sources of Outbreaks from Produce Source: Food Safety Begins on the
Farm Slide 17 Pathogens in Produce Outbreaks Source: Food Safety
Begins on the Farm Since then, Listeria has been found on some
netted melons. This is a very dangerous pathogen since it has a
high mortality rate Slide 18 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
Slide 19 How will FSMA affect my farm and packinghouse? Who will be
covered? The proposed rule will apply to farms that grow harvest
pack or hold most fruits and vegetables when those fruits and
vegetables are in their raw or natural (unprocessed) state Slide 20
How will FSMA affect my farm and packinghouse? Who will be covered?
The proposed rule will not apply to certain produce: produce that
is rarely consumed raw (potatoes, asparagus, bok choy and
cranberries) produce that will receive processing that kills
pathogens produce for personal or on-farm consumption Slide 21 How
will FSMA affect my farm and packinghouse? Who will be covered? The
proposed rule will not apply to farms that only sell directly to
their consumers (CSA, farmers markets, etc.) Despite this FSMA
exemption for farms and individuals who sell directly to consumers,
everyone who sells fresh produce must comply with 3 parts of this
law: a. Develop and implement a food safety plan b. Have a written
traceability plan for at least one step forward and one step back
c. Implement an employee training program that includes food safety
& personal hygiene Slide 22 What would the proposed standards
cover? They would focus on commonly identified routes of microbial
contamination of produce, including: 1. Agricultural water 2. Farm
worker hygiene 3. Manure and other additions to the soil 4. Animals
in growing areas, and 5. Equipment, tools and buildings There are
also specific proposed standards for sprouts Slide 23 Source: FDA
webinar 2-17-13 Slide 24 Slide 25 Slide 26 Slide 27 Slide 28 Slide
29 Which are you? If I wait long enough these pesky regulations
will go away... Ooops! It looks like I waited too long to write my
food safety plan and now my farm is out of business Slide 30
Guiding Principles of Food Safety for Fresh Produce Keys to Good
Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Examples of how to implement a food
safety program Slide 31 Basic Principle of GAPs Growers and packers
must do everything possible to prevent contamination It is
extremely difficult to clean and disinfect produce surfaces once
they are contaminated There is the potential for pathogens to move
inside produce during postharvest operations If you dont write it
down, you didnt do it Slide 32 Food Safety: What You Can Do Now
Practical, realistic ways to start your food safety program Slide
33 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 1. Water Use clean water for
everything Irrigation Water to mix with fertilizers or pesticides
Water for washing produce Water for cleaning harvest equipment
Wherever water comes into contact with fresh produce, its quality
dictates the potential for pathogen contamination. FDA How clean is
clean? Meets drinking water standards Tested every year Slide 34
Use Potable Water to Wash Produce Slide 35 Good Agricultural
Practices (GAPs) 2. Manure & Municipal Biosolids Use manures
and biosolids following FDA guidelines Avoid low growing crops,
especially leafy greens Observe requirements for the time between
application of manures & biosolids and planting specific crops
GAPs for the use of animal manure or biosolids include treatments
to reduce pathogens and maximizing the time between application to
production areas and harvest of the crops. FDA Slide 36 Good
Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 3. Worker Health & Hygiene Be
aware of personal health & hygiene Dont work when youre sick or
let employees work when theyre sick Train employees in proper hand
washing & when it must be done Make sure any cuts are covered
or send the employee home if they cant be covered Infected
employees who work with fresh produce increase the risk of
transmitting foodborne illnesses. FDA Slide 37 Workers Must not
work when they are sick. Should wash hands often Must not pick
contaminated produce Slide 38 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 4.
Sanitary Facilities Provide toilet and hand washing facilities Make
sure employees use provided toilets Hand washing facilities should
be outside bathrooms Toilets need a sewage disposal system Field
sinks must be able to collect used water Infected employees who
work with fresh produce increase the risk of transmitting foodborne
illnesses. FDA Slide 39 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 5. Field
Sanitation Clean, clean, clean Clean harvest bins before use &
before storing Clean harvesting equipment such as knives or
clippers before use & before storing If produce is field washed
or packed, make sure it stays clean Remove as much as dirt as
possible before leaving the field Do not eat, chew gum or smoke in
the field Leave pets at home! Slide 40 Equipment and Containers
Clean knives and picking buckets or boxes often. Use new plastic
bags, etc. Wash everything at the end of the day & store off
the ground Slide 41 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 6. Packing
Facility Sanitation Wash, rinse, and sanitize packing areas and
floors at the end of each day Dont eat or smoke in the packing area
Dont wear field clothes in the packing area Use chlorine or another
sanitizer in the wash water Change the wash water if it gets dirty
Make sure bathrooms & hand washing sinks are used Slide 42 Keep
Produce at Proper Temperatures Temperatures vary by product Slide
43 Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) 7. Transportation Make sure
vehicles & containers used to transport produce are clean
Maintain proper temperatures Slide 44 Good Agricultural Practices
(GAPs) 7. Traceback The ability to track food items, including
fresh produce, back to their source Your records should include:
date of harvest farm identification who handled the produce from
grower to receiver GAPs information from ANR Publication 8102
http://producesafety.osu.edu/gaps/traceability
http://manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/farmfoodsafety/ Slide 45
Documentation: Write It Down! Dates What you did Who was there If
its not written, you didnt do it Slide 46 Food Safety for Small
Farms Is Impossible to Standardize BUT that doesnt mean we shouldnt
or cant do it. Now is the time to start Regardless of the scale:
from legislation to implementation, it is a work in progress Slide
47 Some FSMA / GAPs Resources FSMA:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ default.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ default.htm FDA
Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits
and Vegetables: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceCompli
anceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/Prod
uceandPlanProducts/UCM169112.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceCompli
anceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/Prod
uceandPlanProducts/UCM169112.pdf Slide 48 Some FSMA / GAPs
Resources USDA GAPs Audit Programs:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/HarmonizedGAP
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/HarmonizedGAP National GAPs
website: http://www.gaps.cornell.eduhttp://www.gaps.cornell.edu
University of Floridas food safety website:
http://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/foodsafety/ (includes Florida- specific
Tomato GAPs, and other information)
http://fshn.ifas.ufl.edu/foodsafety/ Slide 49 Some FSMA / GAPs
Resources University of California-Davis food safety website:
http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/Preharvest/#
http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/Preharvest/# includes
commodity-specific food safety guidance for: cantaloupe culinary
herbs green onions leafy greens tomatoes Slide 50 How Do I Develop
a Food Safety Plan The grant received by the Tropical Fruit Growers
of South Florida includes funding for workshops for both fruit and
vegetable growers to help them develop their own plans Check this
website for more information:
http://www.floridafarmfoodsafety.org/p/about.html
http://www.floridafarmfoodsafety.org/p/about.html You can also use
this website: http://miami-
dade.ifas.ufl.edu/agriculture/commveg2.shtmlhttp://miami-
dade.ifas.ufl.edu/agriculture/commveg2.shtml You must check with
the companies that buy your products to see what they require, then
develop a plan
