Safe Berries

Safe Berries

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Train-the-trainer workshops in the Northwest highlight the interest of berry growers in providing safe produce to consumers: When it comes to food safety, the old saying, "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" can also apply to any fresh produce item, including berries. That's why berry growers  should be trained so that they can, in turn, train their workers on good agricultural practices that help prevent the risk of food contamination:

  "It's important for everyone in the food system to have a good understanding of fundamental principles of food safety. No one wants their food to make someone sick. So farmers are an important partner in making sure we have a safe food safety system all the way from the farm to the consumer." 

 Stephanie Page manages the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Program. A series of workshops this month provided by Oregon State University and sponsored by the Oregon Blueberry Commission is part of a wider effort in the state to train on-farm workers on proper handling of fruits and vegetables– an effort wholly supported by ODA:

 "It's really important that everyone involved in the operation understands food safety and how it applies to them, whether that's as simple as handwashing and not eating out in the field if you are an employee to, if you are the supervisor of that operation, making sure all the employees follow the food safety plan."  

 The "train-the-trainer" concept will make sure everyone on the farm who handles the produce, including pickers, gets food safety instruction. Sessions will be taught in both English and Spanish.

 

PAGE says the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act is focusing on prevention and specifically addresses what happens on the farm: "There's more of a focus on a comprehensive food safety system that goes all the way from the farm to the end consumer. Manufacturers have worked for many years to meet food safety laws and rules and a lot of farms have begun doing that as well. Many have done so for years." 

PAGE says many of the principles of good food safety on the farm are incorporated into the Food Safety Modernization Act's produce safety rule, which affects certain growers depending on their size and type of operation. The workshops will help growers become aware of the rule:

 "Whether or not a farm is covered by that rule, it's good for all farms to understand what's in the Produce Safety Rule. They may grow into coverage someday or their buyers may ask them to meet the components of the rule whether it covers them or not."  

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