By Kristin Woods Conservation funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) can help growers implement good land stewardship practices in an economically sustainable way. While these practices may affect pathogen movement in the farm environment, they are not meant to reduce produce safety risk. Additional consideration must be given around how implementing specific practices …
Know What Sanitizers to Use and How to Apply Them
In the age of COVID-19, sanitizer applications are essential for producers to keep their workforce healthy. Laurel Dunn, Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia, offers several guidelines for using sanitizers and other cleaning products in facilities where vegetable and specialty crops are cleaned and packaged. Not All Sanitizers are Appropriate The …
Safety Training Program Protects Ag Workers During the Pandemic
By Kimberly L. Morgan Throughout the food supply chain, producers, processors, distributors, wholesalers and retailers seek economies of scale and scope to improve profit margins, while delivering safe, consistent, reliable and relatively low-cost foods to consumers. At the farm level, owners make decisions to minimize production and harvesting costs, relying on human resources and scientific advances to address the dynamic …
Safe Food Production Training to be Available to Florida’s Small and Beginning Farmers
November 19, 2020 By: Ruth Borger, 517-803-7631, rborger@ufl.edu LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — A new opportunity for Florida’s small and medium-sized produce farmers will become a reality with the support of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) grant designed to produce and provide easy-to-access training in safe food production methods to underserved farmers. Faculty from the University …
UF/IFAS Extension To Assist in FDACS Project Connecting Food-Insecure Families With Florida-Grown Produce
By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP) is among the organizations partnering on a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)-led grant project to fight food insecurity in several rural Florida communities. In a virtual press conference last Thursday, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced the project, funded by a $100,000 Walmart …
Food Safety in Light of COVID-19
With millions of American workers staying home to aid public health efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the security of America’s food supply is more important than ever before. It’s crucial that growers are taking the appropriate measures to ensure food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of …
COVID-19 Guidelines for Agricultural Operations
By Laurel L Dunn for UGA CAES Newswire Farmers and food processors take routine steps to reduce the likelihood of foodborne pathogens, like Salmonella and E. coli, contacting our food and causing illness. The procedures that our food industry takes on a daily basis are also effective in reducing the chances that the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 will come in …
Food Safety a Top Priority in Alabama Produce Industry
By Katie Nichols, Communications Specialist/Alabama Cooperative Extension System AUBURN University, Ala. – With Alabama’s growing season in full swing, produce growers are working to ensure continuing food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC, USDA and FDA agree that there is no indication the virus can infect consumers through food or food packaging. Good Agricultural Practices Alabama Extension food safety …
Peach Crew Safety a Concern for Farmers During COVID-19
By Clint Thompson Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties, says the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced peach producers and farming operations to take extra precautions when protecting their crews from becoming sick. “They have separate crews so they’re trying to keep the crews a little more separated this year. …
COVID-19 and Food Safety: Fact and Fiction for Food Production
By: Ruth Borger, University of Florida LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — Consumers are being bombarded with tips for what to do with their groceries during the coronavirus crisis. Leave them in the garage for three days? Wash the produce with soapy water? Wipe all packaging down with disinfectant wipes? Listen to the science, say University of Florida Institute of Food and …