Meeting Your Market’s Food Safety Requirements

1. 16 Lesson Plans to Prepare Small and Mid-scale Farmers to Enter Food Hubs, Groceries, Restaurants andCooperatives

2. Unit 5.3 Meeting Your Market’s Food Safety RequirementsThis powerpoint presentation is a companion resource to the ‘Baskets to Pallets Teaching Manual’ available at smallfarms.cornell.eduPlease see ‘Module 5: Food Safety’ for additional teaching resources. test

3. Buyer Demand for Food Safety • Historically, buyer demand has driven implementation of food safety practices in the produce industry • FSMA is the first federal requirement • Will likely set the ‘floor’ of food safety requirements for growers • Buyers often require 3rd party audits to verify practices • Need to provide safe product to customers • Need to protect their brand test

4. Grower Motivation for Implementing Produce Safety • Primarily driven by their desire to do the right thing AND sense that it will help maintain/grow markets • Liability and other reasons • Growers are only having audits if required • AND only as long as they are required! • Benefit-cost ratios support the value of implementing practices • Variation in benefit by audit and farm size

5. Long-term impact survey conducted spring/summer 2014 Intent was to access the impact of GAPs farm food safety plan writing workshops Food safety plans and audits completed Determine the benefit cost ratio of implementing food safety practices Determine if markets are being preserved and the value of those markets 20 question survey Data gathered through interview 80 respondents Western NY, Hudson Valley, Long Island Long-term Survey Research - GAPs http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/documents/GAPs_report.pdf

6. Audits & Regulations • Third Party Audits • Voluntary program that allows growers, packers and shippers of fresh produce to verify to buyers that they are growing harvesting, packing, and shipping product in a safe and sanitary manner • Most audits require a food safety plan • Food Safety Modernization Act • Federal requirement for food safety practices for some produce growers and food processors • Third party audits and food safety plans are NOT required test

7. Different Market Venues Have Different Requirements • Many larger grocery chains and wholesalers may require 3rd Party Audits • Smaller market venues may only require a ‘self-audit’, completed check list, or a farm food safety plan • Farm-to-School programs • Auction houses • Food hubs • Restaurants test

8. Questions to Ask Your Buyer About Food Safety If just a farm food safety plan is required, ask if there are specific details they want to see, including: What food safety requirements do you have, if any? • GAPs practices • A traceability plan • Recordkeeping & SOPs • Farm maps • Other buyer specific info If an audit is required, ask which one AND what scopes. Audits often have different scopes, all of which may not be required by your buyer. This will help you determine what to write in your farm food safety plan. Ask if help is available, including funding for audits, training and templates.

9. IF You Need An Audit, How Do You Choose? • Buyer demand • Availability • Requirements of audit • Frequency, passing score • Audit metrics • Price • Availability of grant funds • Avoiding conflict of interest • Avoiding ‘audit fatigue’ test

10. Other Market Food Safety Considerations • USDA GroupGAP • Multiple growers/cooperatives work collectively to undergo GAPs certification as a group • Requires a quality management system and individual to conduct internal audits • Some cost sharing involved • Limitation: Only as strong as your weakest link test

11. What Food Safety Practices Do Most Audits Require? • Worker health, hygiene, and training • Management of soil amendments • Management of domestic animals and wildlife • Visitor policies • Water testing and water quality • Production and post-harvest • Sanitation and post-harvest handling • Transportation requirements • Traceability programs • Other items: sustainability, worker housing, pesticide requirements test

12. Third Party Audit Nuts & Bolts • Recordkeeping • Unannounced audits • Traceability programs • Risk • Assessment • Self- audits • Supporting documentation • Farm Food Safety • Written policies • Written food safety plan

13. Managing the Audit Process • Most audits can be previewed in advance • If audit contains unique parameters, those will have to be accounted for and will require additional planning • May need to have multiple audits if they have multiple buyers • Use pre-existing records to your advantage • Focus on one food safety plan, then tailor it to fit each audit if you are required to do multiple audits • Ask questions and don’t leave the auditor’s side • You want to see what they see and be there to answer questions. Remember some audits charge by the hour! test

14. Making a Case for Writing a Farm Food Safety Plan • Gets you organized and focused on food safety • Defines your practices, policies, and SOPs • Efficient and effective use of your time, money, and resources! • Best way to be prepared! • Effectively implementing practices • Buyer questions/requirements • Third Party Audits • Food safety regulations

15. Writing a Farm Food Safety Plan:Begin with the Right Mind Set • Each farm is unique • You know the farm best • Risks will be specific to your farm and your practices • Farms with plants and animals may be more complicated! • Each commodity is different • Grows on ground vs. tree • Postharvest handling involves water or not • Netted outside vs. smooth outside • Many farms have lots of commodities! Most important point: You can identify and reduce risks!

16. Developing a Food Safety Plan: Progression of grower anxiety, acceptance, and success! Activation Energy Current state Energy(less is more desirable) That warm fuzzy feeling of progress …moving forward and reducing risks! Time spent putting off food safety plan writing… Otherwise known as grower anxiety, fear, and loathing Future state Time

17. Knowledge Is Your Friend • Writing a farm food safety plan can be intimidating, but the more you know the more comfortable you will be • Some basic food safety knowledge is key • For many farmers, food safety is a new topic so it may require additional training or asking for help • Assessing risks requires understanding risks and this requires knowledge and information • Many resources available to help

18. Step 1: Assessing Risks • Review all farm practices that impact the fresh produce you grow and/or pack • Identify food safety risks that may exist with emphasis on microbial risks • Identify which of the risks are most likely to occur with the most frequency • It may help to make a list, putting the highest risks at the top followed by less likely risks

19. Step 2: Develop Practices to Reduce Risks • Understand what needs to happen to reduce risks • What are worker responsibilities? What are farm owner responsibilities? • Ask for help if you are not sure! • Know what resources may be required • Human resources (time) • Equipment or infrastructure (may require changes) • Disposables (hand soap, paper towels, etc.) • Create a list of tasks that need to be done • Designate a person(s) in charge of each task

20. Step 3: Document and Revise • WRITE a plan to guide implementation of practices • The more specific the plan is, the easier it will be to follow and complete tasks • SOPs and policies will outline what exactly needs to be done. These should be shared with whoever is responsible for completing the task! • Build recordkeeping into a logical flow of each practice, otherwise is will not happen • Revisit and revise your plan when practices change or if the plan is not working

21. Basic Farm Food Safety Plan Parts • Farm name and address • Farm description • Commodities grown, farm size, etc. • Name of food safety contact • Risk assessment and implemented practices for each area that impacts food safety • e.g., worker training, agricultural water, soil amendments, sanitation practices, traceability

22. Who is YOUR food safety person? • Each farm needs to have ONE person in charge of food safety • Will be supported by others on the farm • Must have the authority to make necessary changes and invest in resources to reduce risks • Must have GAPs and food safety training • Will be the person listed on the food safety plan as the food safety contact • Must be willing to talk with auditor and buyers

23. What Should Be Included • Practices you are doing on YOUR farm • NOT things you wish you were doing • Farm Food Safety Plan Specifics • Farm assessment of risk • Food safety policies • SOPs • Recordkeeping sheets • Farm maps • Emergency contact info • Supplier, transportation, or service records

24. One Size Does Not Fit All! • Tailor your food safety plan to fit YOUR farm’s needs! • Many good resources, but they MUST be tailored to YOUR farm! • The most useful parts are often the template record keeping logs and/or template SOPs • Editing something to fit your farm is much easier then building it from scratch! • Be sure to make it your own farm food safety plan so you know what is in the plan!

25. Additional Food Safety Considerations • Processed foods, meat, dairy, juice, and seafood • Different set of food safety requirements • Much more control over food production environment than on-farm • May include Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), validated process controls (such as canning, pasteurization) • May be subject to the FSMA Food Safety Preventive Controls for Human Food or Animal Food, state regulations, and local health code requirements test

26. FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food • Applies to facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold human food • In general, facilities required to register with FDA under sec. 415 of the FD&C Act • Not farms or retail food establishments • Applies to domestic and imported food • Some exemptions and modified requirements apply • Requires a written food safety plan, hazard analysis, and Good Manufacturing Practices • Training available from the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance test

27. Cornell University Food Venture Center • Provides comprehensive assistance to beginning and established food entrepreneurs • Direct Technical Support: one-on-one counseling • Education and Outreach: workshops, website, educational materials • Regulatory Compliance: NYSDAM, FDA, and USDA • Process Authority Service: New product safety evaluation and approval • Product process development and technology transfer • http://necfe.foodscience.cals.cornell.edu • Phone assistance: 315-787-2273 test

28. NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets • Resources • Food Establishment Licenses: • http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/FS/general/license.html • Programs to help farms & businesses: • http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/Programs.html • Home Processors • http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/FS/consumer/processor.html • Division of Food Safety & Inspection • http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/FS/FSHome.html • Food Safety & Inspection Division • Oversees any processed food products for retail sale including FDA regulated products, dried meats, fermented sausages, cured meats, smoked, salted, cured and pickled fish and seafood • Processors might need a Food Manufacturing License and schedule process • Non-hazardous foods can be produced at home • Milk Control Division • Oversees milk and dairy products production: sanitation, safety, labeling, licensing • Pasteurized Milk Ordinance in effect test

29. Training Opportunities • Better Process Controls School • Packing and processing low-acid foods and acidified foods • http://www.gmaonline.org/file-manager/Events/Bro_BPCS-011411.pdf • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) • Meat: http://meathaccp.wisc.edu/ • Juice: https://foodscience.cals.cornell.edu/extension/fruits-vegetables-cider-juice/juice-haccp-certification-course • Dairy Foods Extension • http://dairyextension.foodscience.cornell.edu/ • Fluid milk processing, cheese making, membrane, evaporation, and drying technologies, fermented dairy products • FSMA • Produce Safety Alliance • producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu • Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance • http://www.iit.edu/ifsh/alliance/ test

30. Food Safety for a Day Versus Food Safety Everyday • An audit is a day or several day event • Must commit to food safety being part of the operation everyday! • Monetary and time investment • Continued training and implementation

31. Questions? Contact Us! Gretchen L. Wall, M.S., Coordinator, Produce Safety Alliance glw53@cornell.edu, 607.255.6806 Elizabeth A. Bihn, Ph.D., Director, Produce Safety Alliance eab38@cornell.edu, 315.787.2625