Building Market Systems

Transcription

1 Farmers Market Managers Professional Certification Program Module 3: Unit 3.4 Building Market Systems Food Safety for Farmers Markets UNIT OVERVIEW Food safety is a critical issue in today s world. With an ever increasing number of food borne illness outbreaks, the production of our nation s food supply is under greater scrutiny than ever before. It behooves farmers market managers to take an active role in promoting food safety for the health of their customers and for the protection of our farmers and vendors. This unit will build a greater understanding of food safety guidelines that farmers can follow to safeguard the foods they produce and bring to the market. It will also provide managers with guidance in creating a marketplace that stresses food safety, both from their farmers and vendors, as well as through their own actions. LEARNING OBJECTIVES CONCEPTS Understand basic food safety concepts Learn the protocols needed to maintain an environment that maximizes the safety of food sold at farmers markets SKILLS Ability to create a food safety policy for a farmers market - 1 -

2 Unit 3.4: Food Safety for Farmers Markets Farmers markets are the face of agriculture. This is where consumers meet the growers of their food, learn about local food and agriculture and develop relationships with local farmers. Consumers, purchasing their food at farmers markets, appreciate the effort that farmers put into producing the foods they are buying. Customers will also comment that they feel the foods they buy direct from the growers are generally safer than those purchased in big box stores. But is that the reality? Contamination of foods can occur anywhere along the supply chain and no grower is immune to potential contamination of the foods they produce. It is imperative that farmers market managers ensure that the customer s perception of the food sold by their market growers is, in fact, true that these foods are safe for them to feed their families. Why has food safety become such a hot topic issue in recent years? One reason is that pathogens constantly evolve. E coli O157:H7 scares did not exist a few years ago but lately food contaminated with this bacteria has caused multiple illnesses and deaths. Listeria is another pathogen that is of concern. Unlike most other bacteria, listeria multiplies in refrigeration, allowing it to take hold where other bacteria cannot. As bacteria and pathogens evolve over time, the risk to human health grows. What is a food borne illness outbreak? An outbreak is defined by as few as two people being sickened by contaminated food. When we look at the types of foods involved in food borne illness outbreaks, we find that produce generates the greatest level of these outbreaks, 15.6% of the outbreaks and 37.3% of food borne illnesses have been attributed to produce. Remember the spinach scare in 2006 that sickened over 200 people across the nation, hospitalized over 100 of those sickened and resulted in the deaths of 4 people? The culprit: E coli O157:H7. A separate outbreak, occurring on the Jensen Farm in 2011, was caused by cantaloupe contaminated with listeria. When all was said and done, 40 people were dead, Jensen Farms was bankrupt and the farm owners were criminally prosecuted. Farmers and market managers certainly need to be cognizant of this potential danger since many/most of the foods sold are farmers markets are produce and carry these potential risks

3 Other factors also contribute to a growing number of food borne illness outbreaks, along with evolving pathogens: Our culture values and encourages the consumption of fresh foods. While nutrition values are typically higher in fresh foods, cooking or processing foods destroys many pathogens and bacteria. Because fresh foods have not been subjected to any of these treatments, they carry a higher risk of contamination. The US population is aging. As baby boomers age, they become more immunocompromised and, therefore, more susceptible to illnesses caused by food-borne pathogens. Advances in distribution have made it possible to eat fresh foods year round, regardless of local climate. These distribution systems are more complex and bring food farther away from where it was grown. This means more hands that touch your food and more containers it is held in and each of these increase the chances of contamination. Government programs encourage greater consumption of fresh foods. As noted earlier, fresh foods, lacking a kill step such as heating or processing carry a greater risk of causing food borne illnesses. Many consumers believe that farmers market produce is ready to eat and does not need to be washed or sanitized. They may wrongly think that all farmers market produce is organic or has already been washed. Most consumers don t think about the potential germs and hazards both while produce is on the farm and being transported to the market by the farmer, and then while it is transported through the market and back home by the consumer themselves. This creates a false sense of security where consumers feel because foods are grown more locally by a farmer they know and trust that foodborne illness cannot happen to them but the truth is that food contamination and foodborne illness can happen to anyone! What is being done to prevent these outbreaks? There has been a great deal of work to identify the potential sources of contamination and create processes to minimize those risks. USDA has funded the creation of GAPs, Good Agricultural Practices, which identify the risks for food contamination on farms, and define steps that need to be adhered to so as to prevent, or at least minimize those risks. GAPs is a voluntary program, meaning farmers opt to participate, create their own farm s food safety plan and then pay for an audit to assure their farm plan correctly addresses all potential risks. Because it is a voluntary program and requires a cash and time outlay by farmers, it is not as widely accepted as it could or should be. Instead, it is a buyer-driven program. Many large wholesale - 3 -

4 buyers require their farms to be GAPs certified and go through annual farm audits to ensure good food growing and handling practices to know that they are buying only safe foods for their consumers. If farms aren t seeing a direct benefit to their revenue or aren t required to be certified by a vendor or wholesaler, many are opting not to participate and that is certainly a weakness of the current program. The FDA( Food and Drug Administration) has also entered the picture and has developed federal regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act, to cover fresh produce sold at all venues in the United States, in its attempt to stave off food borne illness outbreaks. The regulation will be mandatory once fully implemented. At this point, it is believed that small direct marketing farms will be exempt from Federal regulation, but they will still need to take steps to ensure their foods are safe from potential contamination. Any outbreak attributed to an exempt farm will lose their exemption and be required to comply fully with all Produce Safety Regulations on the Food Safety Modernization Act in the future. This exemption was put into place to make sure that the expense of complying with the new regulations does not put small farms out of business, but that the regulations do provide an extra level of protection for consumers and help hold those who are involved with food safety violations and foodborne illness outbreaks responsible. What can market managers do to keep foods safe for their consumers? Market managers need to understand food safety issues and concerns. Learn how you can protect your customers, as well as helping farmers to protect their own farms by following food safety practices. Know what the potential sources of contamination are and ask the right questions of your farmers. Create your own food safety plan for your market. Incentivize farmers to follow food safety protocols. Lead by example by maintaining proper conditions in the market to ensure a safe food environment and speak up when you see anything happening that isn t safe. While many managers go into market management thinking their job is all about managing the logistics and money for the market, there are so many more important parts of their jobs and one of those is the responsibility for food safety. Learn the potential sources of contamination on the farm. Know what they are and what types of questions you should be asking of your farmers so that you can assess their commitment to keeping the foods they produce and sell at your market safe from contamination. 1. Humans. The more hands that touch food, the greater the chances of contamination. Are your farmers encouraging proper hygiene with their workers, as well as themselves? Handwashing is a critical component of food safety. Does the farm provide proper handwashing stations with warm water, soap and disposable towels? Does the farm train their employees in proper sanitation? What is their policy on having someone who is - 4 -

5 sick or potentially sick working at the farm? How are these policies promoted and/or enforced? 2. Animals. Many small farms have a mix of animals and produce. Are the animals always kept separate from the produce and other foods produced on the farm? Are the workers who handle animals also handling the other foods and if so, are they required to wash, change clothes and shoes before working with other foods? Are pets, such as cats and dogs, kept out of the fields, out of the packing house and wash rooms/shed where produce is being handled? How are these policies monitored and enforced? 3. Soil. Production practices of produce should be done in a manner that eliminates potential contamination. For example, if using compost and manure to build soil fertility, how is this being done? Are the materials thoroughly composted to destroy pathogens, is it being applied early enough before harvest so as to eliminate any potential for contamination? Is compost and/or manure applied in a manner that allows it to make contact with the edible portions of the food? 4. Water. There are three sources of water on farms that are used in the production and post-harvest handling for produce. Surface water; streams, ponds, etc.; represent the highest risk of contamination. There is no method to control what enters the water, from animals defecating in the water upstream to pollutants being dumped by fellow humans. Well water is another source and represents a mid-level risk of contamination. Finally, municipal water, which carries a very low level of risk. To help monitor risk of surface and well water, tests can be conducted to check the level of pathogens present. These tests should be done on a regular basis and would be required under the FDA s Food Safety Modernization Act on eligible farms. Another concern with water is with washing produce. Dump tanks are often used to wash produce. These tanks should be food grade, have the ability to be sanitized, and have sanitizers in the water to prevent the cross contamination of pathogens from one piece of produce to all the others sharing the same wash water. How often are the - 5 -

6 tanks sanitized and how are records kept to make sure that there is no confusion at the changing of shifts? Who makes sure the level of sanitizer is correct? In fact, without sanitizers, the pathogens in the dump tank can be as low as 4%, but rise to as much as 96% by the time the produce is done and the wash water changed. 5. Produce. Produce is a ready-to-eat food and is often consumed raw, preventing the destruction of pathogens through the cooking process. Also, once pathogens have entered the produce, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove them. For example, some produce, such as tomatoes and cantaloupe can actually pull wash water in through their stem ends. If the wash water is colder than the fruit, the water is sucked into the fruit, so that any contamination that may have been in the water is now deep inside the fruit as well. Another example would be the knife used to prepare samples. The knife must be sanitized and stored in a sanitizing solution between uses. This ensures that the knife is not transferring contaminants from one piece of produce to another. Every step along the way from field to table must be done in such a way as to maximize food safety. Beyond just knowing these food safety facts and protocols, make food safety a part of the market. Create your own market s food safety policy. Look at the market as a whole and what can be done to improve food safety within the market. Does the market have port-a-johns or bathroom facilities? These should be outfitted with appropriate handwashing facilities and signage that promotes handwashing by all vendors, as well as customers. Customers often touch produce without buying, so they have a role to play as well. Is your sink water potable? If not, do you post a sign near the water source so that customers will know not to drink or wash food in the non-potable water? Your plan should start with a review of the risks and then address each with a plan to minimize or eliminate that risk. What will you require from growers to participate in the market? While requiring farmers to be GAPs certified to participate in the market may be overly ambitious and drive many farmers away from the market, you can require them to allow you to visit their farms to view post-harvest handling practices. Just keep in mind that you must be capable of administering and enforcing these policies. At the very least, you should be requiring all vendors to post signage at their tables with their farm name and address. This is critical for traceability. Should a customer be sickened by their products, they - 6 -

7 need to know who the product was purchased from and where to find them. Conversely, if the customer is so pleased with their purchases that they want more, they should know who the farmer was and how to find them again. So requiring a name and address helps with both food safety and good marketing and farmers will be more apt to cooperate if they understand the reasoning behind the rule. One option that markets and growers can consider to prevent contamination is to package produce, especially fruits, in a closed container, e.g. clamshells. The closed container discourages consumers from handling the product directly, plus it keeps the foods safer from airborne contamination. Farmers do need to weigh this option against their consumer s wishes though. Many consumers may feel a clamshell is too commercial and does not fit in with their ideal of farmers market produce. In addition, many consumers do want the experience of touch that they get at a farmers market which may be missing from other venues. Yet others may appreciate the farmer s concern for their health in protecting their fruits from potential contamination so farmers need to weigh the risks and benefits. Another requirement for your farmers and vendors is to be sure that all are selling products with the proper licensing. There are many products being sold in markets that require a special license, whether from the county board of health, or the State Liquor Authority or the NYS Department of Agriculture. Requiring all vendors to have current licenses, permits, or certificates required to sell the products they are vending is something that should be part of every market s rules and regulations and copies should be maintained in your market files. These requirements are an important first step in food safety. See the appendix for a complete list of licenses required for farmers market sales. To encourage handwashing, the market should provide a handwashing station. This will not only encourage consumers to wash their hands, but the farmers as well. Often, consumers will eat as they shop the market or stop to pet dogs. These actions cause dirty hands that should be washed before they touch the foods on the farmers tables. In the absence of a clearly visible handwashing station, though, most will forgo heading to the restrooms to wash their hands and will continue to peruse the market and touch the produce. In some cases they will purchase the produce themselves but in many other cases, they will move on potentially contaminating produce that another unwitting consumer will buy. There are many commercially available handwashing stations that can be purchased and used at the market. Adding a couple extra dollars to stall rents will provide the income the market needs to purchase one. But the market can also set up a makeshift handwashing station. A container of warm water with a hands-free tap will provide the water, then provide soap and single-use towels. Finally, add a basin to catch the waste water and you - 7 -

8 have a handmade handwashing station. This can be done fairly cheaply so do not let the potential cost discourage you from this important safety measure. Another important job of a market manager is to look around the market and watch your farmers as they are selling. You can tell which farmers are concerned about food safety and those that are not taking it seriously. What are they doing to prevent contamination when it comes to overhead protection, for example are they using tents to prevent airborne contamination? Are they eating and/or smoking as they are selling? They should be washing hands after eating or smoking and before they handle food. Are they ill, yet still working their tables? Any illness that can be passed on through touching, sneezing, coughing should be avoided and they should send a replacement for that market day. Similarly, any cuts or open wounds should be covered. Are their clothes, body, and hair clean? Personal hygiene plays a role in food safety when it comes to the person who is handling your food. Are all of their foods displayed up and off the ground to prevent soil and other contaminants from infiltrating foods? This needs to be done no matter what surface the market is held on: a park, parking lot, market shed. Any floor surface has potential contaminants from insects, dirty shoes, soil, etc. This includes not just the product being displayed, but also any extra product waiting to be displayed. There should be a barrier between the product and the ground. As you are witnessing any issues that arise that may compromise food safety? The manager needs to address any of these issues listed above or any other they see with the farmers and consider adding them to the market s food safety policy if they are not listed there already For more detailed information on food safety protocols for a farmers market, you can visit Food Safety Recommendations for Farmers Markets, a series of food safety recommendations to keep your market s foods safe for your customers. The set of recommendations was created by the Farmers Market Federation of NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County and funded by a grant from the USDA s Federal/State Marketing Improvement Program. You may want your food safety policy to extend to the farmers as well. Should you require a specified level of food safety practices of your farmers? Some markets are looking at creating modified GAPs practices that will help ensure the foods brought to market are wholesome and free from pathogens and contaminants. You might consider using an incentive to encourage farmers to take steps toward more conscious efforts at food safety practices on the farm. Maybe add a discounted fee for compliance with GAPs or a modified version that you have established for your market. Or add them to signage or a banner to show the food safety compliant farms in the market. Try to make it - 8 -

9 inexpensive and easy for the farms in your market to participate. Another important step that can make a big difference alone is showing your farmers and consumers that you, as the market management, take food safety seriously. Conduct your market operations under appropriate procedures. Cooking demonstrations must follow strict guidelines, both from a regulatory standpoint as well as a food safety standpoint. Be an example for your vendors. Be sure all foods being cooked are handled under safe practices and are free from contamination. Set up the cooking demonstration properly have a handwashing station in place, maintain utensils and cleaning cloth in sanitizer between uses. Keep food preparation in clean conditions wear plastic gloves while handling the raw ingredients, maintain sneeze guards or other means to eliminate potential consumer contamination. And of course, have the proper licensing from the County Board of Health or whatever the regulatory agency is in the market s county in order to allow consumer tastings. If consumer sampling is to be allowed, whether it is done by the market or the farmers, be sure this is also done under proper procedures to minimize any risk of contamination. Samples should be packaged in single serve containers. Farmers and vendors should bring samples to market already packaged. Hand out your samples with gloved hands. Hand washing stations should be available. This will also be regulated by the County Board of Health, so their rules will prevail. But remember, a sample is defined by a bite sized amount and free of charge. Otherwise, it would be considered prepared food and would require a whole other set of rules, regulations and licensing. For more information on guidelines for sampling and cooking demonstrations, see General Guidelines for Food Sampling at Direct Marketing Venues and General Guidelines for Food Demonstrations at Direct Market Venues in the appendices. These guidelines were prepared by the Farmers Market Federation of NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County and funded by a grant from the USDA s Federal/State Marketing Improvement Program. The final important piece is that as the market manager, you should also be promoting food safety to your market s consumers. Signage throughout the market should let people know that they should wash hands whenever they are soiled and before touching the foods out for sale. They should also be encouraged to wash all produce before consuming the produce purchased at the market. You can provide food safety information at the manager s booth so that consumers understand their part in keeping foods safe from the point of purchase to the family s dinner table

10 Signage throughout the Rochester Public Market For a consumer handout on food safety tips, visit: content/uploads/2013/07/food-safety-tips-for- Healthy-Consumers.pdf Why do we stress food safety? Many farmers feel that food safety does not apply to them. Their farms are small and any impact of a food borne illness would be limited. Also, they feed the food they produce to their families and would never feed their own children contaminated food. Beyond that, the response is often that they are farmers and producers, not microbiologists. Time is limited and therefore, their time will be best spent farming. While it is true that food borne illness outbreaks that are traced to a small farm would generally be limited due to a limited marketing base, it is still, nonetheless, an outbreak that has sickened people. The farm is still liable. The people are still sick, even if it was a smaller amount. The results could potentially be the loss of millions in damages paid to the people who became sick or maybe even died. There could be fines levied against your farm that may result in the financial ruin of the farm and farmer. And in worst case scenarios, the farmer could face criminal prosecution. All of this applies to any farm that produces food that could potentially be involved in a food borne illness outbreak, no matter the size of the farm. Following food safety protocols is not only important to protect consumers and the general public, but in fact it is an important step to minimize your own liability that may very well save the family farm. As a market manager, it is your job to protect your customers and your farmers. When you promote food safety practices to your consumers and require safe food handling practices by your vendors without exception, you are fulfilling that part of your job. While you may have many hats to wear and many balls to juggle, following through on your responsibility to keep customers who shop at your market safe is one task you cannot skip. Your customers will view your market as a place for meeting local farmers, as well as a place that cares for their health and safety by seeing to that all foods purchased at the market are free from pathogens and contamination. A customer that feels protected, respected and safe is a loyal customer something we all strive for, for our farms and in our markets

11 References: This material is based on a presentation by Erik Schellenberg, Food Safety Coordinator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County, at the Farmers Market Manager annual conference, Nov Appendix: Food Safety Recommendations for Farmers Markets General Guidelines for Food Demonstrations at Direct Market Venues General Guidelines for Food Sampling at Direct Market Venues Permits/Licenses/Certificates Required for Farmers Market Sellers