View the Pack ‘N Cool Construction Overview

Read the Hand-washing Station Story

DATES & LOCATIONS

• April 19-20, 2012 – Kannapolis, N.C.
• May 16-17, 2012 – Waynesville, N.C.
• May 22-23, 2012 – Plymouth, N.C.

TIMES

Day 1:     10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Day 2:     8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION & REIMBURSEMENT

There are NO registration fees required.

Each agent will be responsible for entering their own Travel Authorizations for this training. N.C. Cooperative Extension in-service training funds will be covering round-trip travel to training, per diem for breakfast (1) and dinner (1), as well as lodging based on shared occupancy at the state rate (1 night). Additional meals will be included in the trainings.

Each agent will be responsible for making their own reservations and either finding a roommate or covering the other half of the room fees. To ease reimbursement, all accommodation fees will be billed to one account. We will also be using this N.C. Cooperative Extension Travel Memo to assist the travel reimbursement procedure. For Travel Reimbursements, charge to grant 441421-13046. This procedure will be covered in detail at the training.

EVENT-LOCATION DETAILS

April 19-20, 2012
N.C. Research Campus – Core Lab building
150 Research Campus Drive
Kannapolis, N.C. 28081

Check in with security (1st floor)
Meeting room is on 4th floor

Accommodations

Holiday Inn Express
2491 Wonder Drive
Kannapolis, N.C. 28083

Front Desk: 704-743-1080
Website and Directions: http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/kannapolis/cltnc/hoteldetail

*Ask for Candy or state that Candy has reserved a block of rooms for N.C. State University for April 19, 2012. Extension funding will cover shared occupancy (one-half of room per person).

May 16-17, 2012
Haywood County Cooperative Extension
589 Raccoon Road
Waynesville, N.C. 28786

Agenda (PDF)

Accommodations

The Waynesville Inn
176 Country Club Drive
Waynesville, N.C. 28786

Front Desk: 828-456-3551
Website and Directions: www.thewaynesvilleinn.com

*Reference the reserved block of rooms for N.C. State University. Extension funding will cover shared occupancy (one-half of room per person).

May 22-23, 2012
Vernon G. James Research and Extension Center
207 Research Station Road
Plymouth, N.C. 27962

Accommodations

Holiday Inn Express
840 US Highway 64 West
Plymouth, N.C. 27962

Front Desk: 252-793-4700
Website and Directions: http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/plymouth/pymnc/hoteldetail

*Reference the reserved block of rooms for N.C. State University. Extension funding will cover shared occupancy (one-half of room per person).

CONTACT

Diane Ducharme
N.C. MarketReady, GAPs Program Coordinator
704-250-5402
diane_ducharme@ncsu.edu

(Download as a PDF)

North Carolina produces 4,230 acres of tomatoes with a farm gate value of $115 million (NASS, 2008). National outbreaks associated with tomatoes underscore the issue of foodborne illness and food safety, which pose immediate risks for tomato farmers in the areas of economics, consumer demand and market access. As tomato production is an integral part of agriculture within North Carolina, it is important to gain a better understanding of current knowledge and practices from our growers.

This survey was developed to help address food safety issues for producers, beginning with field preparation and ending with the consumer’s table. This survey assessed the current knowledge and application of practices, using participants’ input to further develop an educational program in fresh produce safety.

This survey was available at the N.C. Tomato Growers Association’s Winter Vegetable Conference in 2010 and 2011. It was also made available online. It was sent to the following listservs: ASAP, Growing Small Farms, Local Foods Action Plan, Sustagchatham and NC Farmers Market. In 2010, the survey was electronically available to be taken from May 10 to June 15. There were 53 submissions of the survey in 2010. In 2011, the survey was handed out at the Winter Vegetable Conference on February 16 and was made available electronically from February 15-21, 2011. Twenty individuals responded to the survey in 2011. In total, there were 73 respondents from 2010 to 2011.

Following are summarized results of the survey organized by topic.

Demographic Information

When respondents were asked about what counties they lived in, the respondents listed over 24 counties in North Carolina, from which their opinions were representing. Almost 50 percent of the respondents considered themselves to be “full-time farmers.” Over 20 percent of the respondents had been farming 11 to 20 years and another 40 percent had been farming over 20 years. Not only were these respondents full-time farmers, but most had been farming for a majority of their lives and were part of the older generational demographic. Of the participants polled, 46 percent were between the ages of 50 and 64; greater than 20 percent were over the age of 60. Over 73 percent of the participants farmed less than five acres of tomatoes. During the peak harvest time, most of the participants (68 percent) have less than five employees.

Seventy-eight percent of participants do not represent a commodity association board. However, the majority of participants represent small-scale farms (less than five acres), which are farmed by an aging population. The majority of participants have Internet access. When asked about what types of markets are primarily utilized, the majority of participants responded that it was a mixture of direct and wholesale markets. A unanimous 100 percent of participants said they utilized direct markets as their primary market, while 91 percent utilized wholesale markets. When looking at the breakdown of responses, it is clear that most of the farmers are using a mixture of wholesale and direct sales to market and distribute their tomatoes.

Fresh Produce Safety Knowledge

From this point forward, the survey was geared toward fresh produce safety. Participants were asked to indicate their level of knowledge about fresh produce safety, using the scale of 1 (Don’t know anything about this topic) to 5 (Know almost everything about this topic). The results indicated a perceived moderate (44 percent) to high (43 percent) level of knowledge, indicating that participants felt that they knew something about the subject but there was an opportunity to learn more.

The participants were asked to indicate the main areas of potential food safety concerns that dealt with their farm or their packing house. The top two issues as indicated by the farmers were concerns with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) or Global GAPs certification (100 percent of participants) and concerns with water (90 percent). Eighty-four percent of participants were concerned with traceability issues, 78 percent were concerned about handling a food safety crisis or outbreak and 65 percent were concerned about worker hygiene and training. Some of their other concerns were manure, chemicals and microbial testing. Thirty-nine percent of the participants reported not having any concerns, and transportation issues appeared to be the area of least concern for these farmers. Sixty percent of the participants thought that the risk of tomatoes being involved in a foodborne illness outbreak was “low,” while 28 percent thought that it was a “medium” risk.

Irrigation Waters

Forty-seven percent of participants drew their water from wells, while 41 percent used surface water during field operations. During harvest and packing activities, 63 percent of the farmers surveyed drew water from wells, 20 percent drew water from municipal water systems and 16 percent drew water from surface water. The majority of the farmers (97 percent) had their agricultural waters tested for generic E. coli. Eighty-seven percent of the farmers did not perform any other type of microbial testing for their products, water or environmental surfaces. The farmers relied predominantly on E. coli testing as their only verification practice.

Worker Health and Hygiene

In addressing their knowledge of worker health and hygiene, farmers were asked about their behaviors on having hand-washing and bathroom facilities available for workers. Seventy-seven percent of the farmers reported having the facilities available for their workers. The farmers were pretty evenly matched when asked about training for their workers. Forty-seven percent of the participants conducted trainings with their workers on proper hand-washing, bathroom use, illness and injuries, break areas and worker hygiene practices. Fifty-three percent of the farmers did not offer such annual trainings.

In addressing the traceability practices of the participants, they were asked if they had performed a mock recall on any of their products. Ninety-percent had not. Sixty-seven percent did not have a traceability program/system that uniquely identified their product to the field and date of harvest. Over half of the participants reported storing their traceability information in forms other than “electronic” and “paper.” In looking at the individual responses, the majority of the participants reported the question not being applicable or that there was no storage of information.

When addressing the transportation of produce, 98 percent of participants reported not having concerns with the shipment of their produce to packinghouses or retail/wholesale outlets.

Good Agricultural Practices

In the final section of the survey, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) were addressed along with crisis communication and recall. Seventy-eight percent of the participants did not have a GAPs food safety plan, which holds supporting documentation for an operation. Twenty-three percent of the farms had such a food safety plan. Ninety-four percent of the farmers had not been third-party audited for GAPs certification. Eighty-six percent of participants had not developed or implemented a recall plan on their farms. When asked about crisis communication statements, 82 percent reported not having a statement or plan for their farm in the event of a crisis such as a foodborne illness outbreak, pesticide contamination or injured worker. Ninety-five percent of the farmers reported receiving less than five inquires a week about their food safety practices from their brokers or end markets.

This survey was funded by the NCDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program as part of the project titled, “Integrated approach for the improvement and promotion of tomato in North Carolina.” The project is coordinated by Diane Ducharme, GAPs Program Coordinator and Extension Associate in Horticulture & Food Safety with N.C. MarketReady, the N.C. Cooperative Extension outreach of N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute. Contact Diane at diane_ducharme@ncsu.edu.

November 30,2011

At the recent Southeast Vegetable & Fruit Expo in Myrtle Beach, Debbie Hamrick with the    NC Farm Bureau offered an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Click Here for November 30 FSMA Update.

N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force - Food Safety Modernization Act Webinar

January 2011

The N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force (NCFPSTF), along with the N.C. Farm Bureau Federation (NCFB), present a recorded webinar regarding the recent Food Safety Modernization Act. The webinar is moderated by Diane Ducharme, a co-chair of NCFPSTF and GAPs Program Coordinator with N.C. MarketReady, and Debbie Hamrick, a co-chair of NCFPSTF and Director of Specialty Crops with NCFB.

(Watch the Webinar Recording)

• Not sure if you can watch the webinar? Review the System Requirements.
• Having problems viewing the webinar? Visit the N.C. State University Elluminate FAQ page for solutions and support.

Questions from the original presentation on January 26, 2011 are being gathered and will be posted in the future. For more information or with questions, please contact Diane Ducharme at diane_ducharme@ncsu.edu.

• Download PDF >>>
• N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family GAPs Training Calendar
  

For more information about local trainings, contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Agents interested in additional resources that supplement the curriculum should visit N.C. MarketReady’s Agent Resources page.

Contact Diane Ducharme, coordinator of the N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family GAPs program, with questions and comments. Feel free to contact the N.C. Cooperative Extension personnel listed with each event for specific details about those trainings, including registration, fees (if applicable) and directions.

Agents can click here to view a detailed explanation of the N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family GAPs Training Curriculum.

Tier 1
The basic level of fresh produce safety training. The topics covered in the seven hours of instruction include fresh produce safety basics, pathogen introduction, GAPs for field practices, Good Handling Practices (GHPs) for packing facilities, proper health and hygiene, water quality, site selection and manure management. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants as well as listing in a searchable database open to retailers and the general public.

Tier 2
Focuses on risk identification and management. The topics covered in the seven hours of instruction include transportation, traceability and recalls, liability and insurance options, crisis strategy and risk management. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants as well as listing in a searchable database open to retailers and the general public.

Tier 3
Focuses on risk implementation workshops that offer greater depth and interactions to aid farmers in the process of attaining GAPs certification. Topics may include updates from new laws and regulations, outbreak and crisis information, and traceability and performance standards. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants as well as listing in a searchable database open to retailers and the general public.

Speakers include members of the N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force

Dr. Keith Baldwin, Extension Specialist – Horticulture, N.C. A&T State University
Dr. Benjamin Chapman, Assistant Professor, Extension Food Safety Specialist, Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences, N.C. State University
Diane Ducharme, Extension Associate, GAPs Program Coordinator, N.C. MarketReady Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family
Dr. Chris Gunter, Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, Department of Horticultural Science, N.C. State University
Dr. Trevor Phister, Assistant Professor, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, N.C. State University

Invited Presenters

Dr. Larry Beuchat, Distinguished Research Professor, University of Georgia
Dr. Renee Boyer, Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech
Dr. Michelle Danyluk, Assistant Professor, University of Florida
Dr. Angie Fraser, Associate Professor, Food Safety Education Specialist, Clemson University
Dr. Kenneth Petersen, Audit Programs Coordinator, Fresh Produce Branch, USDA
Dr. Rob Williams, Associate Professor and Department Extension Leader, Virginia Tech

Funding from N.C. A&T State University. Sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the N.C. Fresh Produce Safety Task Force and N.C. Cooperative Extension.

View the Event Flier

August 3, 2010

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (lunch will be included from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Location: CEFS Service Building

201 Stevens Mill Road

Goldsboro, NC 25730

Auditor: NSF Davis Fresh

Registration: Required by July 23^rd, 2010

August 4, 2010

Time: Growers 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. / Agents 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

(Lunch will be included from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

Location: CEFS Service Building

201 Stevens Mill Road

Goldsboro, NC 25730

Auditor: NSF Davis Fresh

Registration: Required by July 23^rd, 2010

Commodities: Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplant

Contact

Aubrey Mast
acmast@ncsu.edu
N.C. MarketReady
N.C. State University at the N.C. Research Campus
600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC  28081
704-250-5426

June 29, 2010 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To register, contact Lenoir County Cooperative Extension or Eve Honeycutt at eve_honeycutt@ncsu.edu or 252-747-5831.

N.C. Cooperative Extension, Lenoir County
1791 Highway 11 55
Kinston, NC 28504
252-527-2191

Find Using Google Maps

Search the GAPs Grower Directory for a list of growers across the state who have been trained by N.C. Cooperative Extension agents using the Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Training Curriculum. The GAPs Trained Grower Directory is a database of producers who have completed one or more training tiers.