The Wegmans approach to Food. Safety and our Local Growers

Transcription

1 The Wegmans approach to Food Safety and our Local Growers

2 Wegmans Food Markets Inc. Rochester, New York Currently operate 97 stores in 6 states, expanding to 7 th -North Carolina in Spring employees Opening 98 th Store in September 2018

3 Our 98 th Store.. Welcome Lancaster to the Wegmans Family!

4 Wegmans has a long history of supporting our Local, Near our Stores growers

5 Local Near Our Store -HOMEGROWN! Partnering with over 200 local growers Direct store deliveries daily Farm Call Outs Meet the Grower Days throughout the season

6 Wegmans Produce Shouting LOCAL

7 Wegmans commitment to Organic growing has led to development of Wegmans Partner Farm program..making Organic growing a viable East Coast option for many of our growers

8 Gingerich Farms Ben Schwartz Partner Farms Honeysuckle Hill Farm Amy Cimino- Partner Farm Merchant VerWulst Tomatoes

9 Tremendous Presence of Partner Farm Product

10 Kreher Family Farms & Duncan Family Farms Brockport- NY

11 Wegmans Organic Farm and Orchard

12 Wegmans Produce Food Safety commitment to our over 200 Local Growers.. Make it safe Keep it simple Help remove the financial burden Provide training and support

13 Why did we get started Concern about food safety and small growers led to working with Cornell University and the National GAPS Program Did first training sessions in January 2005 Focus was on growers in NY state Wasn t always received with open arms

14 We began with Basic GAPs Training GAPs training for local growers 2004/2005 Working with the National GAPs program at Cornell, land-grant universities, USDA, Cooperative Extension and state Depts. of Agriculture

15 A Suggestion Became a Requirement In July 2006, Wegmans sent letter to our local growers informing them that GAPs would be required to do business with us In Winter of 2007, we collaborated with Rutgers University and the USDA, and expanded training to growers in New Jersey GAPs required for certain items in 2008-( lettuce, leafy greens, tomatoes, herbs, green onions, cantaloupe)

16 Major Outbreak in 2011 Listeria in cantaloupes grown in Colorado 125 people sick, with at least 34 deaths The deadliest outbreak in the last decade Much bigger than spinach 06, salmonella 08 Wegmans received tainted product from distributor

17 What changed? Limited items stores could purchase from local distributors and suppliers High risk items had to come from a Wegmans distribution center We decided that all fresh produce items needed to have GAPs documentation About this time, GAPs Harmonization was developing-one single standard that all buyers would accept

18 Progression of Wegmans Food Safety Audit Requirements Standard USDA GAPs (GAP & GHP) (2008) to spinach outbreak - started with requirements on items considered highest risk - Jensen Farms cantaloupe/listeria Harmonized USDA GAPs( ) - required corrective actions to be completed Harmonized USDA GAPs w/ Field OP and Post Harvest (2016) to present.. -get growers used to pack-house inspections/produce Rule

19 Wegmans Grower refunds for Produce Food Safety audits We refunded Local Growers $500 to help cover the costs associated with their audits 2016 to present- Increased refund amount to $600 to help cover cost of Post Harvest section of USDA Harmonized audit

20 Wegmans Audit Refund Policy for For all Growers partnering with Wegmans for first year we will offer a $500 refund to offset costs of standard USDA GAP and GHP Audit upon receiving audit and certificate. - No refund for Standard audit after first year- - Use as stepping stone to USDA Harmonized Audit

21 Wegmans Audit Refund Policy, Cont. - By second year of doing business with Wegmans, Growers will be asked to graduate up to the USDA Harmonized Audit - Complete both the Field Operations and Harvest segment AND Post- Harvest Segment - If Food Safety audit is not current or up to date- grower s Buying page on Wegmans W-Buy system is turned off until new audit submitted

22 USDA Harmonized GAPs and the FSMA Produce Safety Rule - Betsy Bihn (Produce Safety Alliance)- Hope is that USDA Harmonized Audits and FDA Produce Rule requirements align under 1 audit by USDA Harmonized Gap audits aligned with Produce Safety Rule in June,2018 -all relevant technical components in P.S.R. covered in USDA H.GAP program USDA Harmonized GAPs Plus audit receives GFSI technical equivalence (August,2018)

23 Wegmans Audit Refund Policy cont. The following audit schemes will continued to be accepted as well. - Primus GFS, Global GAP, Quality Fresh Harmonized, SQF- Level 2, Equicert Harmonized Starting in One Farm- One audit policy - Group Gaps accepted for start up Co-ops only

24 Grower trainings and FSMA compliance Wegmans started offering Produce Food Safety trainings to Local grower in New York in 2004/05 Currently offer yearly food safety trainings In all 6 states and soon in North Carolina -Produce Safety Alliance, Cornell, Rutgers, Penn State, UMass, MDAR, Virginia Tech and Univ. of Maryland & Extension associates from all 6 states - PMA, USDA, Center for Produce Safety, Institute for Food Safety, NYSDAM. Provide meal and meeting place, training and certificates

25 2018 New York State Grower training over 100 attendees from 68 farms.

26 2018 Produce Safety Training agenda 9:15 9:45 am FSMA Produce Safety Rule Update Betsy Bihn, Director, Produce Safety Alliance 9:45 10:15 am Water Sampling and Analysis Research in NY> Lindsay Springer, Extension Support Specialist, IF 10:45 11: 15 am Listeria Monocytogenes Control Martin Wiedmann, Professor, Cornell University 11:15 11:45 am Sanitary Design for Packinghouses> Beth Demmings, Coordinator, 11:45-12:15 pm Block Chain Traceability Process Steve Strub, Wegmans 1:15 1:45 pm FSMA Inspection Update and On Farm Readiness Reviews Jen Trodden, Deputy Director of Agriculture, NYSDAM 1:45 2:15 pm Update on USDA Harmonized Audit Jennifer Dougherty, USDA

27 FSMA Produce Rule Grower Food Safety Trainings Wegmans sponsored Produce Safety Alliance grower Produce Safety trainings in all 6 states in Wegmans covered cost of training and materials as well as cost of AFDO certificate for all growers who attended and completed the course. Able to get 138 of our growers certified as completing this training in the first quarter of 2017.

28 Wegmans Local Growers Policies- a look to..

29 Concerns.. Continue to Develop sense of Food Safety culture with our Local growers - Not just a We passed the audit,good for another year attitude Find time for more on farm visits Small New England states developing their own state audits to attempt to satisfy both the P.S.R. and buyer audit requirements

30 What will continue??? Annual Produce Food Safety Audit requirement USDA Harmonized GAPs or USDA Harmonized GAPs Plus? Annual Produce Grower Food Safety Trainings Annual Grower audit refunds Our commitment to our Local Growers and Food Safety

31 Questions or Comments Are Welcomed Thank You!!!