Food Safety Resources
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C 1300-01
Foodborne Illnesses
Foodborne illnesses sicken approximately 48 million Americans a year and result in significant financial losses for the food industry. Outbreaks of foodborne illness have been linked to consumption of small fruit products, but growers and packers can take precautions to reduce food safety risks on their operations. This video discusses what foodborne illnesses are, what causes them, and basic steps that can be taken to ensure the production of safe fruit. This video was produced in collaboration with the Auburn Department of Horticulture.
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Many produce farms choose to exclude domesticated animals to prevent the spread of fecal contamination to produce crops. However, when farms allow members of the general public access to U-pick fields, on-farm restaurants, or roadside markets, the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the rights of individuals who may require the assistance of a service animal. This publication explains what steps a farm must take to ensure an individual requiring a service animal is not excluded from on-farm activities, while also protecting food safety.
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This video shows producers what to do about wildlife intrusion into produce fields, a common problem for fruit and vegetable growers that presents a food safety risk when fecal contamination occurs. It discusses best practices regarding no-harvest buffer zones (used when feces is present in the field), removal of in-field contamination, and worker training in several different scenarios.
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This brief video describes how, when, and where to collect a postharvest water sample intended for generic E. coli testing, as required by the Produce Safety Rule for produce wash water.
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This brief video demonstrates the best practices for collecting a water sample from a pond or other irrigation source, including the sample type needed by a produce grower for their microbial water quality profile for the Produce Safety Rule. The authors describe when a sample may be needed, where to collect the sample, and proper sample handling during and after collection.
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This bulletin provides the scientific basis and food-safety framework for developing a food safety plan for acid/acidified foods. This includes practical food-safety examples for the acidified foods, including foundational support of a recordkeeping system and forms. Learning how to develop a process-flow diagram, developing recordkeeping forms, and applying food-safety principles during acid/acidified-food production will provide a processor with a better understanding of how a systematic approach to food-safety principles should be applied during the production, processing, packaging, storage, and distribution of acid/acidified foods. This publication contains information on how to develop a plan, including FDA requirements for developing a food safety plan, and sample recordkeeping forms to guide an acid/acidified food processor to safely process, package, and distribute acidified foods in commerce.
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B 989
So Easy To Preserve
Considered the authority on preserving food at home, So Easy to Preserve covers preserving, canning, pickled products, sweet spreads and syrups, freezing, and drying food at home. The latest edition has 10 new products and two revised product recommendations, and the book is suitable for both new and veteran food preservers.
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Many third-party audits, buyers, and standard operating procedures for produce packinghouses or other food facilities require regular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or protein swabs to verify the effectiveness of the cleaning and sanitation protocols. This video demonstrates how to collect ATP and protein swabs, how to interpret swab results, and provides advice to help determine an acceptable baseline when implementing a new swabbing program.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a recall as actions taken by a firm to remove a product from the market. A well-designed recall plan will help to effectively locate the recalled product, remove it from the market, and locate the source of error in the product. Recalls can be conducted on a firm’s own initiative, by FDA request, or by FDA order under statutory authority. If a situation requiring a recall does present itself, it is in the company’s best interest to recall a product before an outbreak occurs.
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