Fundamentals of Creating a Colorado Farm Food Safety Plan How to document your farm s policies and procedures for reducing the risk of contamination March 27, 2012
Panelists On site Marisa Bunning, Asst. Prof. & Ext. Specialist Food Safety, Food Science & Human Nutrition, CSU Martha Sullins, Extension Regional Specialist Agriculture and Business Management, CSU Ryan Friedman, FSHN Grad Student & Team Manager, Sensitech, Inc. Karen McManus, Food Resource Manager, Food Bank for Larimer County Troy Bauder, Extension Specialist Water Quality, CSU Joining Remotely Tracy Vanderpool, Fruit & Vegetable Inspection, Colorado Department of Agriculture Adrian Card, Boulder County Extension Agent Agriculture/Natural Resources *We are grateful to many collaborators listed in acknowledgements, including AGRI 547 class
Risks for on farm food safety The likelihood of your products exposure to contamination from: 1. Physical sources (metal shavings, splinters, bolts, washers, broken glass, personal items) 2. Biological sources (bacteria, viruses, parasites, molds, allergens) 3. Chemical sources (pesticides, fertilizers, cleaning supplies, lubricants, toxins from mold) Contamination can result in illness, injury or death to the consumer, with long term detrimental impacts on your business and reputation
How do I assess risk? 1. Know what risks are present on your farm: a. By location/source (use your farm map!) b. Time of year c. Practice (production, packing, harvesting) 2. Think of risks as those you can: a. Avoid b. Mitigate or manage in some way
To assess risk, thoroughly evaluate: All processes from field prep through transportation, by: 1. Walking your property 2. Observing animal, human, plant interactions 3. Questioning/understanding practices used by farm managers & workers *Remember, some risks occur naturally, others result from human actions. You need to be aware of both!
To manage risk, thoroughly document: 1. All practices from field prep thru postharvest 2. All observed/known risks for each practice 3. Any possible risks 4. How you will measure or monitor known and possible risks 5. Your steps to manage or prevent those risks
To manage risk, thoroughly document: 6. When those steps or corrective actions are taken (have a schedule) 7. Who takes the actions 8. Records of your assessment (date, actions) 9. Updates to your assessment whenever practices and/or products change Make sure everyone knows where your records are kept and how to access relevant sections Communicate this information to all employees
Documents you develop and maintain Standard operating procedures (SOPs) AND schedules for: Cleaning and sanitizing (surfaces, equipment, boxes, bins, coolers, restrooms, hand tools) Inspecting/testing (containers, tools, water quality, soil quality, pest control)
Documents you develop and maintain Logs for: Wash water (sanitizer concentration) Immersion wash (ph, temperature, sanitizer) Sanitation schedule Temperature control (coolers, storage areas)
Example risk assessment process START HERE If not properly maintained, waste from: Livestock and poultry Toilets or portable toilets Wash water from equipment cleaning or pesticide rinsing can overflow drainage systems or waste storage capacity, leading to contamination of food, water supplies, or food production, handling & storage areas. NO Is adequate drainage in place on the farm to prevent flooding or standing water in: Floors in farm buildings used for food production Liquid waste storage ad disposal systems The property surrounding the farm Livestock/poultry housing and production areas Are liquid waste storage & disposal systems on the farm inspected and maintained regularly? This includes septic tanks and portable toilets in the field during harvest. Source: The Advantage On Farm Food Safety Risk Assessment, Government of Ontario YES YES Proceed to next plan subject: Facilities NO Flooding or standing water caused by: Weather conditions, Poor drainage, or Backed up sewage systems can create damp environments that provide ideal conditions for the growth & spread of pathogens Would a piece of equipment help? Some items to consider purchasing & installing for this practice could include: Anti backflow devices
Template, Slides & Resources This set of slides was designed to be used as a guideline for completing the Colorado Farm Plan template, which may be printed or filled out on a computer. Note: this is just a guideline. One plan can not fit all operations but this template can be customized to your farm. Examples appear in red font on the slides. Additional information can be found in the notes attached to the slides including audit questions (in italics) that relate to that section. Please only include practices you can implement. The Colorado Farm Plan Template, webinar slides, blank documentation forms, slide notes and a list of other resources are available from the CSU Extension Farm to Table Food Safety website: http://farmtotable.colostate.edu/
Farm Plan Overview Farm Plan People Farm Facilities Pre harvest activities Post harvest activities
People Contact Information, Worker Hygiene & Training, Visitor Policies Farm Field Maps Previous and Adjacent Land Use Water Quality Manure and Compost Management Livestock/Wildlife/Domestic animals Facilities Storage/Preparation/Shed Packing Pre harvest activities Pest Control Chemical Usage Post harvest activities Cold Chain Management Packing/ Transportation Labeling/Mock Recalls/Traceability
Getting Started Checklist of Documents Contact information for all personnel Farm map, packing area diagram & flowchart All training certificates pesticide application, etc. Water testing results All record keeping sheets training logs and materials
Cover Page Personalize with your farm's name location logo, photo This plan is unique to your farm and outlines the policies and procedures that are in place to keep the food you produce as safe as possible.
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CSU Horticultural Research Center Google Earth Microsoft Snipping Tool
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Cold Chain Management
Strategies During Harvest Harvest Early Utilize Shade Photo Credit: Tracy, Richard. Global Cold Chain Alliance http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/panel%20iii%20tracy.pdf
Cooling Methods USDA Portacooler Cool and Ship
Walk in Cooler Usage Top View Walk in Cooler
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Traceability Record keeping system designed to track the flow of product or product attributes through the production process or supply chain Photo credit: CDC Foodborne Outbreak Investigations, http://www.cdc.gov/outbreaknet/investigations/contamination.html
Documenting Traceability on the Farm 1) Map all production fields or greenhouses 2) Assign numbers to identify specific growing areas 3) Mark all packages with date, location, and crew members 4) Put the harvest date and location ID on each invoice Product: Tomatoes Sunny Farms 123 Sunny Ln. Sunny, CO 80500 Net Wt.: 16 oz. ID: 83012 2 3 Crew 3 Field Number 2 Date (8/30/2012)
Mock Recall
Fundamentals of Creating a Colorado Farm Food Safety Plan Where is this material found? Colorado State University Extension: http://farmtotable.colostate.edu/ Slides Recorded Webinar Notes Farm Food Safety Plan Template Sample Documents Additional Resources
References/Resources Farm Food Safety, Pennsylvania State University http://extension.psu.edu/food safety/farm Good Agricultural Practices: A Self Audit for Growers and Handlers http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/5453/4362.pdf Good Agricultural Practices, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition http://www.jifsan.umd.edu/training/gaps.php National Good Agricultural Practices Network for Education and Training, Cornell University. Available from: http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/ On Farm Food Safety Project, Available from: https://onfarmfoodsafety.org/resources/audit questions/ Produce Safety Alliance, Cornell University. Available from: http://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/psa.html USDA Audit Check List http://www.ams.usda.gov/amsv1.0/getfile?ddocname=stelprdc5050869 USDA Audit Score Sheet http://www.ams.usda.gov/amsv1.0/getfile?ddocname=stelprdc5050871
Acknowledgements This template was adapted from the Penn State University GAPs Farm Plan and National GAPs Farm Plan templates. Assistance is gratefully acknowledged from: Colorado State University, AGRI 547, Delivery of Extension Programs, Spring 2012 Dennis Lamm, Professor & Extension Specialist, Colorado State University Tracy Vanderpool, Fruit & Vegetable Inspection, Colorado Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Alliance & National Good Agricultural Practices Program, Cornell University Luke LaBorde, Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Food Science, Penn State University For questions, please contact: Marisa Bunning, Asst. Prof. & Ext. Specialist, Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, CSU marisa.bunning@colostate.edu Martha Sullins, Extension Regional Specialist, Agriculture and Business Management, CSU Martha.sullins@colostate.edu
Upcoming on farm food safety training workshops 1. Western Slope, April 17th, 4 8:30 PM: Bill Heddles Recreation Center, 530 Gunnison River Dr. in Delta 2. Southern Region, April 23rd, 4 8:30 PM: Pueblo County Meeting Room: 1001 Santa Fe Dr. in Pueblo 3. Northern Region, April 24th, 4 8:30 PM: CSU Extension Weld County: 525 N 15th Ave. in Greeley For produce growers. To reserve a spot, email: Register@RealFoodColorado.com, and indicate the workshop you d like to attend in the subject line.