Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

1. Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Professor Yanyun Zhao Professor Mark Daeschel

2. GAPs – Why Now? • Increased number of produce associated foodborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. CDC estimation: • Consumption of fresh and minimally processed produce steadily increasing. • The Consumers • The Micro World • Global food supply • Media

3. Approaches to Food Safety • Become proactive—anticipate challenges • Make communication a priority • Everyone—from farm to table—needs to take responsibility for food safety. We need to talk with each other and work together to improve the safety of our food supply • We need to inform and educate the industry and the public about public policy issues and risk analysis

4. Guidelines to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables FDA, USDA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Oct. 26, 1998 http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/prodguid.html

5. Good Agricultural PracticesFocus on Prevention and Redundant Reductions • Not a regulation - guidelines only • Has become the “de facto” standard • Buyers have become enforcement branch • Science is trying to catch up

6. Key Elements of Good Agricultural Practices • Water Quality • Manure and Municipal Biosolids • Worker Health and Hygiene • Sanitary Facilities • Field/Packing Facility Sanitation • Transportation/Distribution • Traceback

7. USDA AMSFresh Produce Audit Verification Program • Third party audit based on the FDA Guide • Requires a written food safety program • Documentation in critical areas • Corrective actions specified in advance

8. Current Activities • In Fall 2006, several major retail chain sent a letter to the major trade organizations demanding grower adhere to GAP principles. • Jan. 2007 – GAP is on agenda of the Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Committee, which recommends action item to the Secretary of Agriculture. • Jan. 2007 – Letter from AFDO (The Association of Food and Drug Officials) recommending partnership with AMS.

9. Current Activities • Review of current audit check-list for GAP/GHP • AFVISA (Association of Fruit and Vegetable Inspection and Standardization Agencies) • Industry • National GAP program • USDA Agriculture Research Service Food Safety program

10. Current Activities • Working with Processed Products Branch Qualified through Verification (QTV) program • Tiered GAP program – multi audits levels • Outreach activities • Potential National Marketing Order for GAPs • Auditor training • Food Chain

11. -Food Safety Systems-How does EUREPGAP compare to U.S.GAPs? • Field History • Water • Manure • Worker Health and Hygiene • Sanitary Facilities • Packing Sanitation • Transportation • Traceback Common EUREPGAP only • Variety and Rootstock • Soil Management • Worker Welfare • Crop Protection • GMO issues • Recycling and Reuse • Environmental Issues • Land stewardship

12. Guiding Principles of Food Safety for Edible Horticultural Crops • Once contaminated, removing or killing • pathogens on produce is difficult. • Prevention of microbial contamination at • all steps from production to distribution • is strongly favored over treatments to • eliminate contamination that may have • occurred.

13. Guiding Principles of Food Safety for Edible Horticultural Crops • Documentation of prevention programs, • sanitation protocols, and personal hygiene • training are key signatures of a credible • food safety program.

14. Where Do I Start? On-Farm Hazard and Control Point Analysis

15. Step 1: Build a Foundation of Prerequisite Food Safety and “Good Agricultural Practices” • Prior field history • Sanitation programs • Pest control programs • Wildlife management • Personal hygiene training • Safety training • Organized documentation • and more……...

16. Step 1: Build a Foundation of Prerequisite Food Safety and “Good Agricultural Practices” • Prior field history • Sanitation programs • Pest control programs • Wildlife management • Personal hygiene training • Safety training • Organized documentation • and more……... Record It or Regret It ! If you didn’t write it down, It didn’t happen!!

17. Implementing GAPs Step 2: Construct a Self-Audit of Potential Hazards • Site selection • Animal influences • Fertility inputs • Water inputs • Irrigation • Foliar sprays • Harvest • Human influences • Postharvest • Sanitation Record Keeping is Essential ! Oso Ranch1 Block 2 Baby Spinach Land Prep Pest Control Irrigation Packing

18. Be sure to think about the following when developing a GAP program for your production • Water safety • Safe use of manure and biosolids • Worker health and hygiene • Sanitation in the field, packing area, and PYO operations • Temperature control • Traceback

19. Water Safety Issues on the Farm from Field to Packing House • On the farm, water is used for irrigation, applying pesticides and fertilizers, cooling and/or frost control. • In packing operations, water is used to cool and wash produce, to clean and sanitize, and to wash hands. • If the water is contaminated with pathogens, produce may be contaminated.

20. Irrigation Water May Be A Source of Microbial Contamination CFU/ 100ml

21. Evaluate Your Water Supply • Source of water • Irrigation use • Foliar application • Harvest use • Postharvest use

22. Water Safety: What can you do • Know that risks associated with your water sources (municipal, surface, well) • Test your water as appropriate and keep test records • Understand and pay attention to backflow prevention • Use potable (drinkable) water for handwashing; • Cleaning and sanitation water use in the packing house

23. Safety Use Of Manure And Biosolids On The Farm • Livestock manure can be a valuable source of nutrients, but is can also be a source of human pathogens if not managed correctly • Some pathogens, such as L. monocytogenes and E. coli sp., may survive and grow in the soil.

24. Manure/biosolids on the farm: What can you do? • Properly and thoroughly compost manure • If manure is not composted, age manure to be applied to produce fields for at least 6 months prior to application • Plan before planting • Time manure application correctly • Incorporate manure into soil prior to planting

25. Worker Health and Hygiene on the farm and in the packing house • Humans and animals are the primary source of direct or indirect transmission of disease causing in the food supply • Harvesting/packing is often a labor intensive operation with direct human contact with fresh produce (whether done by pickers or PYO patrons) • Infected employees could increase the risk of transmitting foodborne illness

26. Worker Health and Hygiene:What can you do? • Have worker health and hygiene policies in place, including sick polices for worker attire • Look for signs of illness, wounds or cuts • Make handwashing and toilet facilities easily accessible • Emphasize worker hygiene training

27. Worker Health and Hygiene:What can you do? • Limit bare hand contact and encourage use of gloves where applicable • Provide PYO customers with well-maintained and serviced toilet and handwashing facilities • Post signs to encourage PYO customers to wash their hands before picking produce

28. Sanitation in the field, packing area and PYO • Soil, fertilizer, water, workers, pets, pests, and harvesting equipment can all be sources of pathogenic microorganisms and can contaminate produce • Dirty storage areas can contaminate produce and shorten post-harvest shelf-life • Pathogenic microorganisms may be found on the floors and in the drains in the packing facility and on the surfaces of sorting, grading and packing equipment

29. Processing water that is reused may result in build up of microbial loads and result in contamination • During transportation, produce may become contaminated during loading, unloading and storage Good sanitation standard operating procedures can reduce the risk of microbial contamination

30. Sanitation: What can you do • Emphasize worker and PYO customer hygiene and training • Maintain and clean harvesting equipment • Keep animals out of field • Remove as much dirt and mud as practical from the produce before it leaves the field • Clean and sanitize packing area, floors, and lines daily

31. Sanitation: What can you do • Minimize risks from processing water • Use approved sanitizer • Have a pest control program in place • Do not wear field clothes (shoes and boots) into the packing area • Ensure that transportation vehicles are clean

32. Temperature control during harvest, packing, and storage • Good temperature control maintains produce quality and minimize pathogen growth • Temperature is important when • Cooling produce • Washing produce • Packing produce • During cold storage • Transportation produce • At the point of sale

33. Temperature control:What can you do? • Cool produce quickly • Use ice made from potable water • Avoid cooling water bath temperature that are >10F cooler than produce pulp temperature • Monitor water temperature • Don’t overload cooling capacity in storage • Monitor cooler and produce temperatures • Use and monitor transport truck temperature

34. Traceback: Finding the Source • Traceback is the ability to identify the source of a product—important if a foodborne disease outbreak occurs and you need to find out where the food came from • A good traceback system can: • Protect you from false association with an outbreak • Minimize consumer anxiety and bad publicity • Give you a competitive advantage

35. Traceback: What can you do? • At the minimum, you should identify your product with • Date of harvest and/or date of packing • Farm identification • Document your handling chain from the farm to your distributor/customer • Document all aspects of your packinghouse operations • Get help from industry trade groups for information on coding, labeling and tools available to make the job easier

36. Summary Food Safety for the Producer:Good Agricultural Practices • Water and Water Quality • Manure and Biosolids Management • Worker Health and Hygiene • Sanitation in field, packing area and PYO operations Facilities • Transportation Temperature Control • Traceback Records

37. Keep it Safe!