Dec 19, 2011USDA introduces food safety tool
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, along with leaders from food and agriculture organizations, introduced a free online tool for U.S. producers Dec. 15.
The tool is designed to help U.S. producers of all sizes achieve Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) harmonized standards and certification. USDA’s GAP audit verification program focuses on best agricultural practices to verify that farms are producing, and packers are handling and storing, fruits and vegetables in the safest manner possible to minimize food safety hazards. The free online tool – developed by FamilyFarmed.org, with funding from USDA’s Risk Management Agency – helps farmers design a customized manual to meet GAP harmonized standards and certification requirements, including USDA GAP standards, by answering just a few questions.
The online tool is the first of its kind and was developed by a broad coalition of farm and produce industry partners. It is available at www.onfarmfoodsafety.org.
USDA’s GAP audit verification program, administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, focuses on best agricultural practices to verify that farms are producing fruits and vegetables in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards. USDA’s voluntary audit-based program verifies adherence to the recommendations made in FDA’s Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
To generate a food safety plan using the tool, the user must answer a series of questions on topics including worker health and hygiene, agricultural water, previous land use, soil amendments and manure, animals and pest control, packinghouse activities, product transportation, agricultural chemicals and field harvesting. In addition to helping farmers create a food safety plan, the tool offers farmers a full set of record-keeping templates to document their food safety efforts, as well as useful food safety resources, according to USDA.
Once users have completed their farm’s food safety plan and compiled necessary documentation, they have the capacity to apply for GAP food safety certification, a process asked for by many larger buyers, according to USDA.
For more information, visit www.onfarmfoodsafety.org.
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