SO YOU WANT TO PURCHASE PRODUCE FROM A LOCAL FARM AUDREY KRESKE, PHD North Carolina State University

Discussion  If you had to set the parameters for a produce farmer to sell to a local school, what would they be?  Kill step: None  Susceptible population: Small Children - Teenagers  Quality: Short shelf life  Health: Eating habits, obesity

NC FARM to SCHOOL Cooperative  Member of the Goodness grows in NC program  Free to join

NC FARM to SCHOOL Cooperative  Membership fee  $100 entry fee  Must be approved by the Cooperative Board of Directors  Elected by Cooperative members  Good Agricultural Practices certification  3 rd party  Liability insurance  $2 Million dollars

USDA GAP & GHP Audit Verification Checklist 5 *Not mandatory --- Buyer driven

Other Companies  Primus labs  pxGlobalGAP  NSF agriculture services  ?program=NSFAgr  SCS global services 

USDA GAP & GHP Audit Verification Checklist

Food Safety Manual  Written document that covers all aspects of growing and handling process, and identifies the potential sources of risks  Required to schedule and pass a GAP audit  Describes what steps and procedures are taken to reduce the risks of contamination by chemical, physical and microbial hazards

Food Safety Manual   

Hazard Analysis Crop Type Soil contact Process Workers Water Animals Manure Risk Reduction Priority Cost Paperwork Policy Record Document

Scoring  5, 10 or 15 points  Partial points are not awarded  YES = full points and NO = zero points  Some questions may not be applicable to the operation  N/A points are deducted from the total points available  Reducing the number of points you must earn to pass  Total points = 180 (144 points) G-2, 10 points N/A  180 points -10 points = 170 total points (136 points)

Scoring  Why do I need to see the actual audit?  The auditor must explain in writing any ‘NO’ or ‘N/A’ answers  ‘Doc’ column

DescriptionExample P olicy Written statement in the food safety plan that is followed on the farm Employee policy of not working with produce while sick with foodborne illness R ecord Written log required to be kept showing an action Pre harvest checklist, logging of activities – washing equipment and containers D ocument May be a combination of a policy and a record Signed sheet (record) of all employees trained on health and hygiene practices and a policy listing all health and hygiene practices followed on the farm ObservationObserve and interviewObserving the cleanliness of the restroom facility and the proximity of livestock to crop production areas Documentation

I want to get a GAP audit Food Safety Manual and Officer Procedures and policies in place Documentation of activities Water testingMock recall Request Audit (list several dates you plan on harvesting) Audit Agenda and cost estimate will be sent to you Buyer Expectations (Which parts?) Crops to be audited (Scheduling of harvest)

Audit Cost  The charges include an administrative fee of $50 and the auditor’s time at $92/hour  Time on site conducting the audit, time to travel to and from your farm, and time spent preparing and completing paperwork  Distance traveled  Amount of time depends on sections to be completed  Cost shares are available for farms through the North Carolina Department of Agriculture or Carolina Farm Stewardship Association  First come first serve

Farm completing Part One and Two Prep timeTravel to farmAudit dayTravel from farmPaperwork 3 hours ~$ hours~$230 Total = $1,016 Admin fee $50 1 hour~$92 1 hour~$92

General Section

Audit Section General Section RankCategoryPoints 1Worker Health and Hygiene75 2Restroom and Handwashing 35 3Traceability25 4Product Handling15 5Facilities/Storage10 6Animal/Pests10 7Water10 Total180 *Mandatory

Worker Health & Hygiene  Hands can be a major source of human pathogens  Discuss hygiene policies and trainings with employees  Proper handwashing, proper hygiene  Economic impact

Worker Health & Hygiene  Illness/injury procedure  First aid procedures  Smoking and eating areas

Signs

Restroom & Handwashing  Portable restrooms - records from the company regarding the frequency of servicing and cleaning  Restroom facilities should be as clean as possible  Stocked with single use towels, toilet paper, and hand soap  Supplies stocked on the property  Restroom use  Handwashing facilities

Part One – Farm Review

Audit Section Part One – Farm Review RankCategoryPoints 1Water45 2Animal/Pest45 3Manure (A, B, or C)45 4Sewage/Waste25 5Land History20 6Traceability10 Total190

 What is the source of irrigation water? How are crops irrigated?  Is it protected from contamination? Irrigation Water Sources SourceRiskTesting Surface waters (pond, creek) HighAt the minimum should be tested 3x during the season Well waterMediumAnnual test at the beginning of the season Municipal waterLowRequest testing results from local authorities

Irrigation Water Testing  Generic E. coli  Several tests – recommend Colilert method, quantitative  Not presence/absence  High test results? (EPA recreational water quality standards, 2003)

Wild and Domestic Animals  Keep animals out of the production field  Report tracks, crop destruction or feces  Positive deterrence  Fences, noise cannons, scarecrows, scare balloons or fish emulsion 28

Manure and composting  Pathogens of concern are Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7  Best management practices to reduce contamination  Increase the amount of time between application of manure and harvest of produce  Incorporation into soil  Proper and thorough composting  Application records  Storage of manure piles  Down hill from crop production areas  Covered with a shelter or tarp

Part Two – Field Harvesting

Audit Section Part Two – Field Harvest RankCategoryPoints 1Equipment/Containers80 2Restroom and Handwashing40 3Product Handling25 4Water15 5Land history15 6Traceability10 Total185

Sanitation  Cleaning is the process of removing food and other soils  Sanitizing is the process of reducing the number of microorganisms that are on a properly cleaned surface to a safe level  Sanitizing agents only work on properly cleaned and rinsed surfaces

Equipment

Containers

Part Two

DPI GAP Webinar Series  Tentative Dates  11 am - 12 pm  June 27 – General Section  July 1 – Part One  July 11 – Part Two

Audrey Kreske, PhD Thank You