Gordon Johnson, Extension Vegetable & Fruit Specialist; gcjohn@udel.edu
Delaware
In Delaware three basic training opportunities will be offered for produce growers on food safety and good agricultural practices and good handling practices (GAPs and GHPs) by Delaware Cooperative Extension.
Basic training covers microbial food contaminants, outbreaks associated with produce, how produce becomes contaminated, Good Agricultural Practices in the field (water sources; animals, manures, and compost; field sanitation; and worker hygiene) and Good Handling Practices from harvest to sales (packing area sanitation, worker hygiene, storage, handling, and shipping).
For farms that will be wholesaling and going through a third party audit, an additional training on developing farm food safety plans and audit requirements is offered.
For growers who have attended previous trainings, we are having two update sessions which will provide the latest information on produce food safety science, industry actions, audit requirements, and the status of the upcoming FDA-FSMA produce regulations. A portion of the session will be spent on proposed water sampling requirements and irrigation water treatment options.
All Sessions will be held at University of Delaware County Extension Offices: New Castle: 461 Wyoming Road, Newark, DE; Kent: 69 Transportation Circle Dover, DE; and Sussex: 16483 County Seat Highway, Georgetown, DE.
Dates and locations for basic and wholesale sessions for those who have not attended training in the past are as follows: NEW CASTLE COUNTY – April 16, 6-9 p.m. basic session. KENT COUNTY – March 19, 9 a.m.-noon for the basic session with an additional 3 hours for those selling to wholesalers from 12:30-3:30 p.m.; SUSSEX COUNTY – March 18, 6-9 p.m. for the basic session with an additional 3 hour session for those selling to wholesalers on March 30 from 6-9 p.m.
Update sessions for those that have already attended trainings are as follows: KENT COUNTY – March 20, 9 a.m.-noon; SUSSEX COUNTY – March 24, 6-9 p.m.
More information, contacts and online registration is available at http://extension.udel.edu/produce-food-safety/
Maryland
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and University of Maryland Extension (UME) will be conducting a series of regional food safety training workshops for fruit and vegetable producers. On Delmarva the GAP training session for the Eastern Shore will be March 17, 2015 at the Wicomico County Extension Office, 28647 Old Quantico Rd, Salisbury, MD 21801. Other regions in MD will also have sessions.
Maryland will also have an advanced food safety training on March 20, 2015 for growers who are already GAP certified. It will be held at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Pkwy, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Online information, contacts, and registration for Maryland sessions can be found at http://gaps2015.eventbrite.com.
Assistance
In both Delaware and Maryland, cost share funds are available for costs associated with third party audits. Contact your state Department of Agriculture for more information.
Assistance in writing produce food safety plans can also be obtained in both Delaware and Maryland. Contact your Cooperative Extension office for more information.