Hey folks, update to the Zoom link we’ll use for our monthly meeting this Wednesday. Use this one instead:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88987839152

Meeting ID: 889 8783 9152

Tell your friends!

PB

Hi Francesca,

I’m sorry to hear about the flooding!

I have not seen Taro production in-person, but the wetland systems sound similar to seepage irrigation systems in Florida.

In FDA’s “Guidance for Industry: Evaluating the Safety of Flood-affected Food Crops for Human…

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Hi everyone,

In light of the recent flooding here in Hawai?i, we’re looking for input related to kalo (aka taro) and flood exposure.

As a general rule, we advise growers to not harvest/ discard crops that have come into contact with floodwater. We know this is especially important for crops leafy greens and other low-growing produce. However,…

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Hey all, here is the link to the recording for December’s meeting: https://youtu.be/NBdRheGpSlk

Also, below is the response that Stasia received from Laura Strawn at Virgina Tech, which was discussed during the meeting.

Wishing all of you the best as we turn back towards the light!

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1) EMP + APC thresholds

Short answer: there isn’t a…

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Morning y’all,

Two of my co-workers from UF, Michelle Danyluk and Keith Schneider, will be joining us next week to share their experience/perspectives on the science behind infiltration risks (including the 10 degrees recommendation), wash water sanitizer, AgWa assessments, and anything else we want to chat about. : )

If you have any questions…

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I have run into a couple of surface water questions and wondering if anyone has some thoughts or experience on these.

1) Should there be any concern with using surface water to make compost?

2) For a carrot crop, a farmer is using surface water. They don’t want to implement even a 3-day waiting period because they feel the dryness will…

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Good morning,

Registration is open for a new 3-part project management course from the FSLN. Read more and sign up below!

As nonprofits, community-based organizations, government agencies, and others advance their work, they must navigate complex systems and intervene skillfully to make systemic change. It takes time, however, to…

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Hi Jose

Can you see the discussion on this thread from 2023 that precedes your question? Several people have responded to the use of vinegar as a sanitizer. And there are some links to resources. If you can’t see the whole thread I can copy and paste it for you. Bottom line is there is no EPA registered acetic acid product that is labeled for…

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Has anyone tested or know of any studies with a higher than 5% concentration of distilled vinegar as a disinfectant? We produce distilled vinegar of up to 31% acetic acid concentration and would think anything higher than the common 5% vinegar will act as a good disinfectant. I worked in the sanitation chemicals industry for some time and…

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OMG! Thank you so much!

Hey y’all,

Please see attached a DRAFT powerpoint about vermicomposting that we discussed on the last call. I’m submitting it for peer review this week, so a few things might change. It includes vermicompost best practices, regulatory information including a PSR TAN response, and a few research studies to dive into. Thanks for the…

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Oh good idea!! Thank you! Do you know which contacts specifically? I know quite a few folks that work for both, but not sure who would be on this specifically.

You may need proofreading and formatting in a different way, but this translation may help.

Hey! CSU extension or CDA may be able to help you 🙂 If you need contacts let me know.

I’ll look into it and come back to you ASAP. Have a good night!

Hi Humberto, thanks for reaching out. So we have a long 25-page wholesale packing guide but it’s in English. I haven’t been able to find something similar in Spanish. The farm park director we work with suggested photos might be better, but I’m not sure. Attached is our packing standards, but again, it’s super long and not all of the produce…

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Hi! I can help with that. Can you provide more details about what you are looking for? Are you looking for guidance on GMPs for a packing house? What are the crops they have?

Hi Folks,

We have quite a few producers who speak Spanish only, and I’m looking for a wholesale producer packing standards guide in Spanish if one already exists.

Thank you in advance!

Hi all, please see below from Melissa at USDA:

We are pleased to announce that the GAP auditor training classes for 2025 are open for pre-registration. For new auditors, Audit Services Branch is offering 3 classes for the Harmonized GAP standard and 3 classes for the USDA GAP standard. For current auditors of the USDA GAP and Harmonized…

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Hey everyone- as I mentioned today, the FSLN is partnering with Hunter P. Goodman at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture to offer an interactive, practical grant writing training. Dr. Goodman has trained over 500 community leaders in grant writing this year and has some easy, practical tools to offer during the session.…

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We want to hear from you! We are seeking your input and feedback and would like to hear from 200 FSLN members by November 15! Through the FSLN annual member survey, we’ll be able to see how different types of programs help advance the overall goals of the network. After completing the survey, you’ll be eligible to win a $100 gift card (just in…

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Hey all, use think link for today’s meeting:

Phil Britton is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Phil Britton’s Personal Meeting Room

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2657601838

Meeting ID: 265 760 1838

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One tap mobile

+13092053325,,2657601838# US

+13126266799,,2657601838# US (Chicago)

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Dial by your location

• +1 309 205 3325…

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Hey all, great to see you last week! Attached are the documents that Cathy mentioned.

Yes, that right. Our folks are very small and low risk so they don’t need a PCQI.

Thanks for sharing Kristin. Sounds like you use a combo of trainings from external orgs and then maybe a customized GMP training for your facility – is that right? Appreciated!

Hi Christina,

We have an aggregation and processing facility that others come in and use. We require ServSafe, because our permit is from the county health department and that is what they require; PSA, because it is produce specific; and a short version of GMP that is specific to our facility.

Kristin

Hi everyone! Any recommendations for online food safety trainings geared for people starting an aggregation/food hub business? The only ones I’ve seen are Cornell’s Good Manufacturing Practices Part 117 training (but, as the name implies, it’s very specific to that part of the regulations) and SCS Global Services FSMA Preventative Controls…

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Hello all! I have had an inquiry asking if there is a cold chain training program or resource for local produce distribution managers. We all are aware of GAP trainings. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi all, I completely spaced on today’s meeting and am not in a place with enough signal to join a call. Sorry! I’m confident you all can keep the conversation going, though. See you in September!

PB

Hey Food Safety Land. Anyone out there selling to Sodexo as a formally approved vendor with a completed third party audit off their approved audit list? I’m looking to talk to you about why/how you decided which audit to go for off their list. Thanks! mckenna@foodconnects.org

Anita,

Thanks for starting this discussion and interesting to read the replies.

There are a couple of resources I would point towards for UV surface water treatment for food safety considerations:

One research paper (attached) – Evaluation of ultraviolet (UV-C) light treatment for microbial inactivation in agricultural waters with different…

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Hi All, I’m working with a 4 year old apple and peach orchard in Virginia. They focus on Upick but have started doing some wholesale as production increases. They want GAP certification, and I usually hear about and advise separating out U Pick and GAP fields, as that makes everything easier. They are certain they want to have their orchard…

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Hi Anita,

I’ll be visiting a farm soon that is using a multi-step system for using surface water, to clarify the system details. What I do know from their plan is that their holding tank will get algae without some treatment beyond UV, so they are also using bleach to treat the water followed by periodic water testing. I am definitely…

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Hi Anita, recently I had a conversation with a friend who builds ponds and waterfalls and natural water retention systems that can create living, clean water. We’ve been discussing how this type of system could benefit farmers and ranchers. A UV treatment system is a sterilization approach that does kill the algae but isn’t a natural…

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Hi! does anyone have experience or resources on UV treatment systems for surface water? We have many farmers here in New Mexico who irrigate from the acequia / river water ditch system. Some pump the water into holding tanks and are considering treating the water. Is this an effective way to treat surface water and one that can ensure it’s safe…

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Hey folks, great discussion yesterday! Here are the links that I copied out of the chat:

Final water rule: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-final-rule-pre-harvest-agricultural-water

Useful assessment of the rule:

FDA Publishes Final Agricultural Water Rule

Guidance on the…

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Good day Community,

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow. Due to severe weather impacting Phil and other CoP members, we will adapt our plans for tomorrow’s call accordingly and hope Phil can join us. As always you can keep the conversation going in the discussion group.

See you all tomorrow Wednesday April 3rd at 7:00 am HT/10:00…

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Hello Food Safety & Quality Community!

Just wanted to share that the application for the Spring 2024 iteration of our Community Food Systems Mentorship Program is now open through Monday, February 5th!

Please feel free to apply and forward this announcement to others who might benefit from this program.

Program Overview

Through participation in…

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I hope you all had a restorative holiday break! As everyone has recently returned to the office, we have opted to cancel the meeting scheduled for January. Our inaugural meeting for the year will now take place on Wednesday February 7th.

Do you have a topic you would like to see discussed in the new year? Respond with your ideas.

There is never…

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Good day community!

It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to a close! We’re excited to catch up with all of you before we welcome the new year. See you all on Wednesday, December 6th, at 8:00 am HDT/10:00 am PST/12:00 pm CST/1:00 pm EST.

Our discussions on food safety are always engaging, so you can keep the conversation flowing…

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Please join the NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force for our Annual Produce Safety Professionals Conference at the NCA&T Farm Pavilion in Greensboro on December 12, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

If you are in the NC area, this one day conference will expand your knowledge on the legal aspects of food safety regulations when growing and…

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Many thanks to Andy Kennedy of New Era Partners for joining our Food Safety and Quality Community of Practice call last week and taking us through a deep dive on the FDA FSM 204 Final Food Traceabiltiy Rule. Andy broke down all the key things you need to know about how to help growers and food businesses interpret, prepare for and comply with…

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Good day community!

Andy Kennedy will be joining us to discuss the traceability rule and strategies for ensuring compliance. And, Elizabeth will be making a special guest appearance as a representative of the Wallace Center to provide support.

Looking forward to connecting with you all Wednesday, November 1st, at 7:00 am HDT/ 10:00 am…

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Hey folks –

In case you missed it… food safety took center stage on one of the latest episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in which he harangues everything from the division of responsibilites between FDA and USDA inspection services to the lengthy roll out of FSMA. He concludes by saying, “So many experts we talked to for this…

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Howdy folks!

I hope this finds you well. If you can believe it, this Food Safety and Quality Community of Practice (the artist formerly known as the GroupGAP commuity of practice) is ten years old this month! Major kuddos to Phil Britton, to the folks that were a part of that original GroupGAP pilot that got this started, and to each of you…

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Love this question!

I have worked with 4 farmers who have composting toilets so far. Two of them have passed GAP audits with no problem – one HGAP, one USDA GAP. 2 haven’t been audited yet. The way we approached it on each farm was to do a risk assessment on the composting toilet system – how risk to water, crops and people is mitigated, and…

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Hi Chloe!

I’ve got a short and long answer, hopefully helpful – at least to the conversation. Would also love to know if anyone has had this discussion with an auditor or inspector or know of some super secret guidelines out there!

TLDR – There is a TAN question where FDA neither says yes or no.…

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Hi, all!

Does anyone have any experience with compost toilets on GAP certified/FSMA compliant farms?

As far as I understand it (and I am a little out of practice with food safety), there are no regulations that specify the type of toilet a farm can use, but there are regs around adequately managing human waste so that contamination of the…

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Greetings Food Safety and Quality CoP. How would you like to win a free 1 hour consult with an FSLN mentor?

We’ve had over 100 responses so far to the FSLN Member Survey — help us reach our goal of hearing from 300 members by October 13! We have some NEW prizes available! After completing the survey, you’ll be eligible to win 1-1 time with an…

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Thank you! This is great!