agriculture tips

Fresh fruit and vegetable packers have always been somewhat limited in how they can sanitize their product after their product has been harvested and before it is packed. The most common method of post harvest sanitation is to immerse the product in a dump tank or flume, or run the product over a series of rollers and have spray bars overhead. The dump tank and spray bars are injected with food-grade sanitizers to kill any lingering pathogens or spores that are on the product. Though the above method of sanitation is a generally acceptable post harvest handling practice that is endorsed by many food safety auditing agencies, it is not without some faults. One of the primary challenges of any post harvest technology that involves the immersion of the product in a sanitizer, is that most sanitizers still require a potable water rinse, after the product has been sanitized. This rinse can reduce the time the sanitizer has to do its work of killing and preventing the growth of spores and p...

Numerous deadly outbreaks over the past few years, such as e. coli and salmonella, have created a groundswell of demand for enhanced food safety processes. That outcry is being answered by the implementation of stricter standards and (in the U.S.) the Food Safety Modernization Act. The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was launched in 2000 with the purpose of benchmarking existing and new standards to create pragmatic food safety guidelines that are universally recognized. All GFSI approved standards address identifying and managing food hazards and risks, traceability through food distribution channels, and implementing effective methods for food recall when problems are detected. These standards apply not only to growers and food providers, but also to every step of the global food supply chain. The goal is to prevent contaminated food from reaching consumers and to quickly recall spoiled goods while identifying and correcting the source of any problem. GFSI endorsed standards cu...