Produce growers should take time to review cleaning and harvesting procedures

Midsummer is the perfect time for produce growers to review their cleaning and harvesting procedures to minimize the risks of foodborne illnesses and maximize their farm efficiency.

In a recent article for the Acreage Living Newsletter, Teresa Wiemerslage, field specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, highlights the main points to consider when reviewing your cleaning and harvesting procedures.

The Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule states that producers must clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces, equipment and tools used, as frequently as reasonably necessary.

Producers must also inspect and maintain all non-food-contact surfaces of equipment and tools used during harvesting, packing and holding as frequently as reasonably necessary to protect against contamination of covered produce.

The article provides proactive steps farmers should take, including basic hygiene and restroom use, keeping harvest totes and packaging clean, keeping vehicles and equipment clean, and keeping good records.

“The easiest way to keep your packhouse clean is to keep the dirt out,” Wiemerslage said. “The practices you use in the field can either increase or decrease the amount of cleaning you need to do at the end of the day.”

The article also explains how to keep a cleaning and sanitization log, and offers sample logs and Standard Operating Procedures.

Other articles in the current Acreage Living Newsletter include “Preparing for Weaning to Optimize Health and Performance,” “Feeding Management of Horses,” “How to Garden for Pollinators, Bees, Butterflies, and Beneficial Insects,” “Veraison Impacts on Grapevine Diseases,” and “Iowa Resources under USDA’s Heartland Regional Food Business Center.”

Acreage Living is published every other month by the small farm sustainability team with the Farm, Food, and Enterprise Development program with ISU Extension and Outreach.