Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The next component essential for produce safety is a well-designed and effective
education and training program that is provided to employees throughout the company.
Farm, packinghouse, and transportation workers who possess the knowledge, skills,
and motivation to perform their job tasks properly, correctly, and consistently will
reduce microbial risks. The expectation of job responsibilities and the importance of
food safety requirements must be clearly communicated to all workers, and appropri-
ate resources necessary to allow them to do their jobs properly must be provided. The
education and training of workers is often overlooked or neglected and not given the
importance that it deserves, and this can result in signifi cant lapses in the safety of
fresh produce.
The third component in the top portion of the pyramid is a thorough understanding
of biological hazards (including bacteria, viruses, and parasites) that have been
involved in produce-associated outbreaks; this is a key factor in controlling them.
Hazards that are not properly identifi ed or understood cannot be easily addressed (Bihn
and Gravani 2006 ).
The safety of fresh fruits and vegetables is dependent on these three components
of the Produce Safety Assurance Pyramid which are built on the fourth component, a
strong and solid foundation of GAPs, including many practices that control hazards
on the farm. The eight foundation blocks that make up GAPs are microbial water
quality, manure use and composting, worker health and hygiene, cleaning and sanita-
tion, animal and pest management, recall and traceback strategies, crisis management,
and farm biosecurity (Bihn and Gravani 2006). Although the latter three foundation
blocks are not agricultural practices, they focus on areas of concern that should be
addressed in a farm food safety plan. Therefore in developing an effective food safety
plan, all of these areas must be addressed and a well-organized record-keeping system
must be established, implemented, and maintained to document relevant activities.
If a strong foundation of GAPs is not well established and actively maintained, the
safety of fresh fruits and vegetables can be compromised. Each of these important
foundation blocks of GAPs is briefl y addressed in the following sections.
Microbial Water Quality
The microbiological quality of water used in the irrigation, washing, sorting, and
packing of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as for crop protection is of critical
importance in assuring the safety of these foods. At the present time, there are no
national standards in the U.S. for microbiological quality of irrigation water, but there
are several grower groups and produce trade associations that are addressing this
important issue. There are some states, grower groups, and marketing orders that are
making recommendations on the level of microorganisms that should be considered
for irrigation water. These are derived from a number of sources, but clearly more
research is needed to determine the appropriate level of microorganisms present in
irrigation water. The role of water and water testing in produce safety is addressed
in chapter 7 .
Manure Use and Composting
When manure is used as a soil amendment, it provides a variety of benefi ts to the soil
by increasing the organic carbon and overall organic matter, and this results in
