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Safe Food Handling on the Farm: Meeting the Needs of Foodservice
Operations
Media attention and consumer concerns about potential risks of
foodborne illness from fresh produce have resulted in the need for
growers to apply best practices (environmental and human elements)
to control against contamination of food products while on the farm
(harvest, post-harvest, transportation and delivery) and better
understand purchasing criteria of retail foodservices. Three
workshops targeted to producers in Iowa have been held or scheduled.
Pre- and post-workshop assessments were administered to participants
in the first workshop (Jefferson County) to determine changes in
knowledge about best practices in product handling during harvest,
post-harvest, transportation and delivery; importance of operational
policies related to employee hygiene and proper food handling;
procurement regulations for retail foodservice establishments; and
documentation of cleaning and sanitizing procedures. Interviews and
observational site visits were conducted at three (50 percent) of
the farms participating in the first workshop. PDF versions of
workshop presentations, educational materials, and promotional aids
from the current project have been posted at the Iowa State
University Extension Local Foods site (HRIM Extension) at
www.iastatelocalfoods.org
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Generally, results indicated increased awareness of need for Good
Agricultural Practices (GAPs), a better understanding of foodservice
market sectors’ perspectives, and improved knowledge about
procurement regulations. Initial results indicate that workshops
increased participating producers’ awareness of food safety issues
and concerns of foodservice operators. Continued programming efforts
and information sources are needed for communication to all
producers considering a new market in retail foodservices.
Contacts:
Sam Beattie, Food Science and Human Nutrition AGLS
2312 Food Science
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-1061
beatties@iastate.edu
515-294-3357
Catherine H. Strohbehn, HRIM ISU Extension Specialist
31 MacKay Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA, 50011
cstrohbe@iastate.edu
515-294-3527
Neric D. Smith
ISU Extension-Jefferson County
2606 W. Burlington
Fairfield, IA 52556
ndsmith@iastate.edu
641-472-4166
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