Food Safety Programs

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

Preventing and controlling the contamination of fresh farm produce is the key to producing wholesome, healthy products. This program helps growers to develop and implement farm food safety plans, and prepares them for GAPs certification. As a result, growers can market their products with greater confidence.

GAPs Food Safety Trainings

At GAPs trainings, participants learn more about:

• bacteria and other harmful microorganisms commonly associated with fresh produce.
• the costs and impacts of outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens.
• strategies for controlling potential microbial food safety hazards throughout all phases of production, harvest, and post-harvest handling.
• the USDA Third Party Audit process.

Participants also participate in a mock USDA GAPs/Good Handling Practices (GHPs) audit and receive a certificate of participation from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Upcoming GAPs Food Safety Trainings

• Workshop at Farm Bureau annual meeting in Cape Cod, MA on December 3rd,
  2009.
• Workshop at the New England Fruit and Vegetable Growers annual meeting in
  Manchester, NH on December 14th, 2009.
• GAP online course in January, April, and September 2010 (check back for
  start dates)
  

The GAPs Food Safety Manual

The GAPs Food Safety Manual, provided at the training, helps growers conform to good agricultural and good handling practices and prepare for a successful GAPs/GHPs audit. It includes step-by-step guidelines on how to develop individual farm plans, and a CD with record-keeping templates. Growers can customize these to verify USDA GAPs/GHPs on their farms. Click here to view the GAPs Food Safety Manual.

The step-by-step guidelines for developing food safety plans can easily be tailored to each grower’s unique operations.

Topics match the sections of the GAPs/GHPs audit, and include:

• farm review.
• field harvest and field packing activities.
• house packing facility.
• storage and transportation.
• traceback.

Training Fee

$50.00 per person.

Duration of the Training

Six hours (typically one day from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM).

Check back for upcoming GAPs Food Safety Trainings

GAP Brochure (pdf)

How to Become GAPs–Certified

1. Participate in a GAPs Food Safety Training.
2. Develop and implement your farm food safety plan.
3. Invite a certified Third Party Auditor to conduct a USDA Third Party Audit on your farm.

   For your audit, contact:
   Robert Rondeau
   Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
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   (617) 626-1804
   (617) 626-1850 (fax)

4. When you have passed the USDA GAPs & GHPs Third Party Audit, you will become GAPs/GHPs-certified.

For more information on GAPs and help in setting up a Food Safety Plan at your farm, contact:

David Nyachuba, Ph.D.
Program Leader for Food Safety
(413) 545-0552
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or

Richard Bonanno, Ph.D.
Extension Educator
(978) 361-5650
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