Food safety workshops for fruit and vegetable growers offered in seven locations

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January 4, 2011

Growers interested in improving food safety and post-harvest handling of fruits and vegetables can learn both at Iowa State University Extension workshops this winter. The workshops will be held during January and February at seven Iowa locations and will also cover the implications of recent federal food safety legislation on small growers.

“Fruit and vegetable growers work to deliver a safe product from farm to table,” said Margaret Smith, program coordinator with ISU Extension's value added agriculture program, and co-team leader for the workshops. “This may require additional planning and implementation of new practices and protocols on the farm.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s good agricultural practices (GAPs) address microbial food safety hazards for unprocessed fruits and vegetables from the farm to retail. “These good agricultural and management practices are important to ensure safety as well as quality of most fruits and vegetables sold to consumers or retail foodservices in the unprocessed form," said Cathy Strohbehn, ISU Extension specialist, associate professor of hotel and restaurant and institution management, and workshop co-team leader.

"There are actions producers can take at each step - growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing and transporting – to meet these objectives, with the added benefit of presenting a competitive advantage within the market,” Strohbehn said.

Topics to be covered during this full-day workshop include microbial risks, the regulatory landscape, production and safety issues and the development of a food safety plan based on GAPs principles. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion of On Farm Food Safety Training, suitable for framing at points of sale.

The workshops are funded by a two-year competitive grant to Strohbehn and Smith from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Paul Domoto, ISU Extension specialist and professor of horticulture, and Lester Wilson, ISU professor of food science and human nutrition are additional project team members on this grant. More information about the project can be found at www.iastatelocalfoods.org.

The workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Locations and registration contacts include:

• Jan. 27 – Holiday Inn Des Moines Airport/ Conference Center. To register, contact Sue Woods at the Value Added Agriculture Program at ISU Extension at 515-294-9483 or swoods@iastate.edu.
• Feb. 2 – Muscatine County Extension Office, Muscatine. To register, contact Shirley Grimm or Vera Stokes at 563-263-5701 or sgrimm@iastate.edu.
• Feb. 3 – North Iowa Community College, Oelwein. To register, contact Teresa Wiemerslage at 563-794-0599 or wiemer@iastate.edu. For more information, visit www.iowafreshfood.org.
• Feb. 4 – Linden Residence Hall, Ames. To register, contact Darrin Vander Plas at 515-294-2892 or farm2isu@iastate.edu. For more information, visit www.dining.iastate.edu/farm/.
• Feb. 8 – Griswold Community Center, Griswold. To register, contact Bahia Barry at Golden Hills RC&D at 712-482-3029 or bahia.barry@rcdnet.net.
• Feb. 9 – Downtown Sioux City Library, Sioux City. To register, contact Laura Kuennen, Local Food Systems Coordinator at 712-276-2157 or Lkuennen@iastate.edu.
• Feb. 10 – North Iowa Fairgrounds 4-H Building, Mason City. To register, contact Mark Schutt at Prairie Winds RC&D at 641-923-3606 or mark.schutt@ia.usda.gov.

Fees for the workshop are $50 per person and $25 per second family or business member, which includes take home reference materials, a meal and refreshments. Contact your local workshop site for scholarship information.

Established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act, the Leopold Center supports the development of profitable farming systems that conserve natural resources. More information about the Leopold Center is available on the web at: www.leopold.iastate.edu, or by calling the Center at 515-294-3711.

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/01-04-2011/food-safety-workshops-fruit-and-vegetable-growers-offered-seven-locations on 01/21/2013