Good Agricultural Practices and On-Farm Food Safety for Small, Mid

204 Pages·2014·18.58 MB·English

Bridging the GAPs
Good Agricultural
Practices and
On-Farm Food Safety
for Small, Mid-Sized,
and Diversified Fruit
and Vegetable Farms
Based on the USDA Good Agricultural Practices/Good
Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) Audit Program standards
A publication of the Washington State
Department of Agriculture
Bridging the GAPs
Good Agricultural
Practices and
On-Farm Food Safety
for Small, Mid-Sized,
and Diversified Fruit
and Vegetable Farms
Based on the USDA Good Agricultural Practices/Good
Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) Audit Program standards
Authors
Tricia Kovacs
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Sue Davis
Washington State Department of Agriculture
AGR PUB 307-412 (N/9/14)
Contributors to this Guide GAP/GHP Audit Staff, USDA
Todd Mattos
GAP/GHP Audit Staff, WSDA
Chuck Dragoo Greg McNair
Ken Frazier
Lonnie Marlin Washington State University Faculty and Staff
Office of Compliance and Outreach, WSDA Andy Bary, WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center
Claudia Coles
Colleen Donovan, WSU Small Farms Program
Katie Lynd
Betsy Levy Malaquias Flores, WSU Small Farms Program
Communications Office, WSDA Doug Collins, WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and
Kathy Davis Natural Resources
Organic Program, WSDA Amy Moreno-Sills, WSU Puyallup Research & Extension
Brenda Book Center
Holly Thompson, WSU Snohomish County Extension
Photography Pat Munts, WSU Spokane County Extension
Meryl Schenker Jenelle Ottmar, WSU Grant-Adams Area Extension
Spanish Language Translation Other Partner Organizations, that provided opportunities
María Natalia Carrillo for us to present on GAPs
Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Thanks to the following farms that allowed us to Cascade Harvest Coalition
photograph their best practices for this guide Organicology
Full Circle Farm, North Bend Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Market Association
Imperial’s Garden, Wapato Tilth Producers of Washington
Ralph’s Greenhouse, Mt. Vernon Washington State Farm Bureau
Skagit Flats, Mt. Vernon
Tahoma Farms, Orting Project Web Support
WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center, Puyallup Jill Kunz, WSDA
Other Project Support
Bridging the GAPs Project Acknowledgements
Billy Campbell
Farm Walk Host Farms
Farm Walk Host Farms
The Bridging the GAPs work and this guide were made
Alvarez Organic Farms, Mabton
possible through a grant from the USDA Specialty Crop
Imperial’s Garden, Wapato Block Grant program.
Local Roots Farm, Duvall This guide is available at no cost (unless shipping charges
Pheasant Fields Farm, Silverdale apply) in English and in Spanish, by request by calling the
Skagit Flats Farm, Mt. Vernon Office of Compliance and Outreach at 360-902-1905 or by
Viva Farms, Burlington emailing [email protected]. You may also download it at
Williams Hudson Bay Farm, Walla Walla www.agr.wa.gov/inspection/GAPGHP/guide.

Auditors, Trainers, and Partners at Workshops and Events
Office of Compliance and Outreach Staff, WSDA
Tricia Kovacs
Sue Davis This guide was developed as a resource to assist farms as
Patrice Barrentine they implement good agricultural practices and prepare
Sherryl Stoltenow for GAP/GHP audits. Writing a food safety plan using the
resources and templates provided is a good place to start,
Claudia Coles
though it does not guarantee a successful audit. The GAP/
GHP standards may be adjusted over time, so check the
GAP/GHP Audit Staff, WSDA WSDA GAP/GHP website for updated information: agr.
Chuck Dragoo wa.gov/inspection/FVInspection/GAPGHP.aspx.
Ken Frazier
Darla Lindemeier
Lonnie Marlin
Epifanio Rodriguez
Ken Tuttle
Contents Part 2 • Field Harvest and Field Packing Activities ..............45
Your Food Safety Plan ...............................................................46
How to Use this Guide ...............................................................1 Pre-Harvest Assessment ..........................................................46
Field Sanitation and Hygiene ....................................................47
Project Background .....................................................................1
Sample Port-a-John Spill Response Plan ..................................48
This Guide ...................................................................................2
Field Harvesting and Transportation .........................................49
Harvest Containers .............................................................49
The GAP/GHP Audit ...................................................................5
Harvest Practices that Minimize Cross-Contamination .......50
Getting Started ............................................................................5 Harvest Using Cleaned and Sanitized Tools .........................50
What is GAPs and Why is it Valuable to a Farm? .........................6 Glove Use ..........................................................................52
FSMA Basics and Potential Timeline ............................................7 Clean and Well-Maintained Harvest Equipment
How to Meet the Standard ...........................................................8 and Machinery ...............................................................52
How to Get a GAP Audit ...............................................................9 Transportation from Field to Storage and Processing Areas .53
GAP/GHP Documentation Requirements ....................................10 Post-Harvest Water Usage ........................................................54
The GAP/GHP Audit ....................................................................12 Product Packing ........................................................................56
Your Food Safety Plan .........................................................12 Traceability ................................................................................57
Requesting an Audit ............................................................13
During an Audit ...................................................................14 Part 3 • House Packing Facility .............................................59
Automatic Failure................................................................14
Washing/Packing Line ..............................................................60
After an Audit ......................................................................15
Receiving ..................................................................................60
Costs of an Audit.................................................................16
Worker Health and Hygiene .........................................................62
Packing House Policies ..............................................................63
General Questions ...................................................................19
General Housekeeping ..............................................................64
Implementation of a Food Safety Plan .......................................19 Pest Control ...............................................................................66
Traceability and Mock Recall .....................................................20 Traceability ................................................................................67
Recall Plan ..........................................................................21
Mock Recall ........................................................................21 Part 4 • Storage and Transportation ......................................69
Mock Recall Example .........................................................22
Storage Areas, Product, Containers, and Pallets .......................70
Recall Plan Checklist ..........................................................22
Good Practices for Clean, Orderly Work Spaces ..................70
Worker Health and Hygiene .......................................................23
Practices for Cleaning Up Spills or Accidents ......................71
Potable Water .....................................................................23
Maintaining Clean Packing Boxes, Pallets
Worker and Visitor Training and Practice .............................23
and Storage Bins ...........................................................71
Handwashing ......................................................................24
Preventing Contamination from Non-Food Substances .........72
Restrooms and Field Sanitation Units .................................25
Pest Control ...............................................................................73
Designated Eating and Smoking Areas ..............................26
Ice and Refrigeration .................................................................74
Worker Health .....................................................................26
Ice and Cold Water Used for Cooling Produce .....................74
Personnel Applying Pre-harvest or Post-harvest Materials..27
Cold Storage .......................................................................75
Visitors on the Farm ............................................................27
Transportation and Loading .......................................................76
Rules For Visitors ................................................................27
Worker Health and Personal Hygiene .........................................77
Traceability ................................................................................77
Part 1 • Farm Review ..............................................................29
Water Usage .........................................................................32
Water Testing .................................................................33 RESOURCES
How to Take a Water Sample.................................................34
Making Decisions Based on Water Test Results ..............35 Most resources and templates are available as Word documents
Sewage Treatment ................................................................37 here, so you can download and adapt them for use on your farm.
Animals/Wildlife/Livestock ....................................................38
For pdfs of the resources and templates included in the guide,
Livestock and Poultry Adjacent to Growing Areas ............38
Intentional Interaction Between Livestock and click on the chapter header below.
Production Fields .................................................................38 GAP/GHP Audit Resources .....................................................79
Animal Disturbances ...........................................................39
General Questions Resources..............................................121
Avoiding cross-contamination from animals..............................40
Part 1 • Farm Review Resources ........................................139
Manure and Muncipal Biosolids ................................................41
Soils ..........................................................................................42 Part 2 • Field Harvest & Packing Resources ........................151
Traceability ................................................................................43 Part 3 • House Packing Resources ......................................167
Part 4 • Storage & Transport Resources ..............................183

How to Use this Guide
“I wish I’d been
able to go to an
Bridging the GAPs
on-farm workshop
like this one when
I was writing our
Opening Markets for Small,
farm’s first food
safety plan. I was
Mid-sized, and Diversified Farms
overwhelmed
with information
and the markets
demanded
Project Background
certification. I
T created a plan that
his guide is part of Washington State
Department of Agriculture’s Bridg- worked, but having
ing the GAPs project, which seeks to support like this
facilitate best practices for on-farm food
would have been
safety by developing education and out-
really helpful.”
reach services in support of Good Agricultural
WSDA GAP auditors and Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices David Young,
educators have spent (GHP). The project provides technical assistance Food Safety Coordinator,
extensive time at farm-walks Imperial’s Garden,
to farms preparing for United States Department
on small, diversified farms Wapato, WA
in order to clarify how to of Agriculture (USDA) GAP/GHP audits, as well
manage these farms for GAPs as for farms simply seeking best on-farm food
implementation and audit.
safety practices without the intention of being
audited. Washington State Department of Agri-
culture (WSDA) staff saw the need for this proj-
Bridging the GAPs • Good Agricultural Practices | Good Handling Practices 1
This Guide
ect from farmer feedback provided over several
years at conferences, workshops and via surveys.
All signs indicated that concerns were increas- This guide is intended to assist fruit and veg-
ing regarding food safety market and regulatory etable growers as they begin to implement
requirements, and fruit and vegetable growers and document good agricultural practices for on-
were seeking affordable ways to adapt their farms farm food safety, and as they prepare for a third-
to meet these standards. party audit of those practices. The information
in this guide is based on the USDA Good Agri-
The main goal of the Bridging the GAPs project
cultural Practices and Good Handling Practices
is to identify and share best practices relating
Audit (GAP/GHP) standards. In order to provide
to on-farm food safety for small, mid-sized and
accurate, useful information, the WSDA team
diversified fruit and vegetable farms. The WSDA
has worked closely with WSDA auditors, who
team coordinates workshops and tools for the
provide the audits in Washington State through
farming community to share examples of safe
a cooperative agreement with USDA.
growing practices that meet the USDA GAP/
GHP certification standards. WSDA has sought WSDA’s Bridging the GAPs project has engaged
to engage growers throughout the project by auditors and educators to identify tips and best
soliciting questions, concerns and examples practices that will be cost-effective on small, mid-
of successful solutions. The project also shares sized, and diversified farms, including those with
up-to-date information about FDA’s Food Safety livestock and other farm animals. This guide
Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed Produce aims to provide information that will help grow-
Safety Rules and other current on-farm food ers implement good on-farm food safety prac-
safety topics. tices and provide auditors with a basic guide for
issues of most concern to growers with smaller,
The Bridging the GAPs team also aims to help
diversified farms
WSDA GAP auditors better serve small and
diversified farming operations. WSDA’s licensed The guide generally follows the flow and struc-
USDA GAP/GHP auditors—experts on stan- ture of the USDA GAP/GHP Audit Checklist
dards for large-scale and single crop produc- which provides a comprehensive look at the
tion— are receiving hands-on education, tools kinds of risks you should consider when creat-
and resources to help them understand the chal- ing a tailored food safety plan for your farm. The
lenges of smaller-scale diversified producers and checklist will be the guiding document followed
recognize record-keeping and food safety solu- by an auditor when conducting a GAP audit.
tions that work for these farms. Consider drafting your policies, standard operat-
ing procedures (SOPs) and corrective actions
plans as you work through the guide, to start to
develop a draft Food Safety Plan, whether for an
audit or simply to use as a best practices guide
on the farm.
2 Washington State Department of Agriculture • Bridging the GAPs Farm Guide
All GAP/GHP audits are voluntary. Most grow- Each chapter provides details and best practices
ers who seek an audit do so to meet require- for a different section of the audit. By following
ments of a particular buyer or to enter a new the guidance and using the worksheets collected
market that requires or prefers a third-party at the end of each chapter, you can create a work-
food safety certification. Growers can request ing draft of a food safety plan.
an audit for any or all of the checklist sections,
Best practice examples, photographs, and sample
called “scopes.” Growers with smaller-scale,
policy language are included in this guide to
simple operations with less infrastructure are
provide insight on strategies other Washington
most likely to choose to be audited for General
farms are using to meet the standards, and help
Questions (required for all audits), and Parts 1,
guide development of a food safety plan. You
2, 3 and/or 4. Many small farms will only need
may wish to model your farm’s policies on some
General Questions and Parts 1 and 2, based on
of these. However, each farm is unique, and you
common practices on most small, diversified
must follow recommended procedures for risk
farms. The GAP/GHP Audit Checklist sections
assessment in order to develop policies that
that are most relevant for small diversified farms
reflect your farm’s risk profile.
are treated in detail here:
To assist you in developing your farm’s unique
✪ General Questions
food safety plan and SOPs, worksheets and tem-
✪ Part 1 Farm Review
plates relevant to each audit scope are included
✪ Part 2 Field Harvest and Packing
at the end of each chapter. Sample policies, work-
✪ Part 3 House Packing Facility sheets and templates are also included in Word
✪ Part 4 Storage and Transportation or Excel format on a flash drive with hard-copy
binders, or are available on the WSDA website at
The remaining sections of the audit checklist (6
http://agr.wa.gov/inspection/GAPGHP/, so that
and7) will not be covered here, as they generally
they can be available for you to adapt for your
apply to larger farms or wholesaler/distributors,
own use.
and would be outside the scope of the Bridging
the GAPs project. (Part 5 – Traceability has been
incorporated into all sections of the audit, and is
no longer a separate scope.)
Bridging the GAPs • Good Agricultural Practices | Good Handling Practices 3
Notes
4 Washington State Department of Agriculture • Bridging the GAPs Farm Guide
The GAP/GHP Audit
This chapter
provides
Getting Started
information about
the USDA Good
Agricultural
Practices and
A
s you make the decision about whether
Good Handling
you need a third-party food safety
audit, or whether you simply want to Practices Audit
use this guide to help you review and Program and the
improve your food safety practices,
audit process.
you may want to consider how the USDA GAP/
GHP Audit program works, and why others are
choosing to get an audit. This introduction will
provide an overview of the GAP/GHP program
and current topics affecting farmer decisions to
participate, as well as the documentation, costs,
and process for a GAP/GHP audit.
Getting Started • Good Agricultural Practices | Good Handling Practices 5