By ERIN LIZOTTE
Food safety is the new game in town when it comes to agricultural production. Consumers have become more aware of where their food is produced, how growers produce it, and the journey it takes before reaching the table.
In our neck of the woods, we are lucky to know many of the people who are actually growing our food and have the unique opportunity to understand the conditions of their production. We meet producers at our regional farmers markets and farm stands and marvel at all the Michigan products in local grocery stores. However, despite our diverse agricultural industry, importing food is still a common practice, as in many parts of the world. With all of these imports consumers are concerned -- how do we know the food we buy is safe?
Food safety is defined as protecting the food supply from microbial, chemical and physical hazards that may occur during all stages of food production and handling, including growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, preparing and storage. In short, everyone in the food chain is now responsible for keeping the food clean and safe until it reaches the consumer. Growers, processors, packers, haulers, buyers and retailers all have to follow similar food safety rules when the produce passes through their hands. In fact, many retailers across the U.S. are now requiring some type of assurance that crops they are buying are safe, so they in turn can guarantee safe food to their customers.
From a farm perspective, formal food safety plans are developed around the principles of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) that help mitigate produce contamination. Although our local growers have been producing safe food for as long as they have been growing it, they now need to keep a record of GAP practices, develop a formal framework and undergo a third-party, on-farm audit to confirm compliance with GAP practices.
However, developing the structure for a food safety plan is no small task; this 100-page plan tells the story of how each tomato, onion or apple is grown -- from before the time of planting until delivery to the grocery store or processing plant. The plan defines how the farmer will keep produce free from microbial, chemical or physical risks.
One example of proper protocol for a modern food safety plan includes independently training all farm workers in proper sanitation and hygiene. After a farm successfully passes the audit, the food is considered safe, and product safety is now the responsibility of the next level of the food supply chain. Although food safety standards are global in scope and many countries follow a similar set of criteria to mitigate contamination, common sense dictates that the fewer number of links in the food chain lessens the potential for contamination issues.
Food safety -- yet another good reason to buy local and support our local producers.
Erin Lizotte is district educator for the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station in Leelanau County.
