Produce Bites

This episode features Emily Hale, Produce Safety Technician with the Blue Water Conservation District, Jordan DeVries, Produce Safety Technician with the Newaygo Conservation District, and Ben Phillips, MSU Extension Educator. They talk about their experiences with On-Farm Readiness Reviews and discuss areas of improvement they see most commonly on farms when it comes to produce safety. 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

The FDA recently proposed changes to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water Rule requirements. In this episode, Phil Tocco, Food Safety Educator with Michigan State University Extension, and Annalisa Hultberg, Food Safety Educator with the University of Minnesota, discuss the proposed changes to the rule and provide guidance on how to submit comments.

Comments can be written and faxed to the FDA at 301-827-6870 or mailed to:

Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

To read more about the rule or if you would like to comment on the proposed rule, you may do so at FSMA Proposed Rule on Agricultural Water.

Comments must be submitted by April 5, 2022.

Additional Resources:

Agricultural Water Proposed Rule Fact Sheet

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Landen Tetil, Produce Safety Technician with the Marquette County Conservation District, and Les Bourquin, Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University. They talk about produce safety risks to keep in mind when it comes to on-farm apple cider production.

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Barb Roth, owner of Red Barn Market in Lowell Michigan, and Mariel Borgman, Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. They discuss various food safety risks on U-Pick farms and how you can mitigate them.

Resources:

Contact your local Produce Safety Technician
Michigan Agritourism Association
Worker Training Resources and Templates

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Lori Yelton, Nutrition and Food Management Consultant with MDARD, Mary Rose Vanas, Food Service Director for Shelby Public Schools, Landen Tetil, Produce Safety Technician with the Marquette County Conversation District, and Mariel Borgman, Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. They discuss the value farm to school has on the community, and provide their own perspectives on food safety in farm to school settings.

Additional Resources:

Michigan Agriculture Facts and Figures – https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/MI_Ag_Facts__Figures_474011_7.pdf

MDARD Magazine 2020 –  https://farmflavor.com/michigan/michigan-magazine/michigan-agriculture-2020/

USDA Farm to School Resources – https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/farm-school-resources

MSU-CRFS Cultivate Michigan – https://www.cultivatemichigan.org/resources

Groundworks – https://www.tencentsmichigan.org/build_your_farm_to_school_program

Farm Flavor Michigan – https://farmflavor.com/michigan/michigan-ag-education/michigans-farm-to-school-connection/  

Taste the Local Difference – https://www.localdifference.org/

MSU Extension Community Food Systems Team Members – https://www.canr.msu.edu/community_food_systems/experts

Recorded On-Farm Food Safety Webinar: Michigan Farm to Institution Network Virtual Network Meeting – https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/mfin-on-farm-food-safety-webinar

Michigan Farm to School: Serving Up Local Foods – https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/michigan-farm-to-school-fact-sheet

Information brief: How do institutional food service professionals know that produce from their suppliers is safe? – https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/institutional-food-safety

National Farm to School Network – http://www.farmtoschool.org/

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Whether it's mice, rats, birds, or rabbits, many growers struggle with managing pests on the farm. In this episode, Phil Tocco, a Produce Safety Educator with MSU Extension, and Emily Hale, a Produce Safety Technician with the Blue Water Conservation District, give some advice on how to keep these pests under control.

Additional Resources

Animals in Production Areas – Article by Emily Hale

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This month's podcast features Eligio Larraga with the Michigan Farm Bureau and Jordan DeVries, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician. In this episode, Eligio and Jordan sit down and discuss produce safety training for H-2A workers. 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

What does it mean to create a culture of food safety? Micah Hutchison, a Produce Safety Technician, and Mariel Borgman, an MSU Extension Educator, sit down and discuss the things, ideas, and activities all employees should share to promote a good food safety culture on the farm.

Additional Resources

Glitterbug Handwashing Activity

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Micah Hutchison, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician, and Parker Jones, a Michigan State University Extension Educator and Innovation Counselor. Enjoy this animated and informative discussion where Parker and Micah compare notes and offer some affordable and earth friendly solutions to common on farm produce safety challenges, including produce packaging, hand washing and more!

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Landen Tetil, a Produce Safety Technician in the Marquette County Conservation District, and Mariel Borgman, an MSU Extension Educator based out of Kalamazoo County. They discuss the importance of farm food safety plans, how to get started, what information should be included, and more.

For a farm food safety plan template, take a look at the "Record Keeping" section on the Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety Team website.

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.