Good Fruit Grower

April 1

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/283151

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 39 of 63

F ood safety in the field involves more than follow- ing a binder full of procedures and passing third party audits, says tree fruit grower-packer Warren Morgan. It's about knowing you've reduced risk at every opportunity. "The goal of food safety is not just about passing an audit," said Morgan, president of Double Diamond Fruit in Quincy, Washington. "It's about producing a safe product. And being able to sleep better at night." Passing an audit is not the same as producing safe food, he said, adding that Colorado cantaloupe grower Jensen Farms had passed a food safety certification audit from a reputable third party within a couple weeks of shipping deadly melons. Because the fresh produce industry has no "kill step" like pasteurization or steriliza- tion that can eliminate all risks, a systems approach must be adopted in the field and packing house. "It's all about reducing risk level at every opportunity, in the field and packing house," said Morgan while lead- ing a panel discussion on food safety in the field during the Washington State Horticultural Association annual meeting. "The two have to come together. Our focus has to be on minimizing risk as we produce a safe and healthy product." Assessing risk Although fresh-market apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit crops have not been linked to any food safety problems, Morgan said that's not enough to give him a good night's sleep. "We need to be able to assess potential risks so we know if there's something more we can do to minimize or mitigate that risk. The only way to do that is through research." One of the biggest changes coming soon to produc- tion agriculture, the panelists agreed, will be regulations being developed for fresh fruits and vegetables by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of the new Food Safety Modernization Act. A major concern to farmers is regulatory attention being given to agricultural water use and the purity of water that may touch fruits and vegetables in the field near harvest. Karen Killinger, Washington State University Exten- sion food safety specialist, is working with the tree fruit industry to learn about pathogenic risks associated with production practices. She's leading two research projects, funded by the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commis- sion, to look at overhead evaporative cooling (a common practice used by eastern Washington apple growers to protect fruit from sunburn) and bin sanitation. The water use project collected samples from 24 Washington orchard sites last year. Killinger is monitor- ing the water quality from rivers, canals, and ponds used in evaporative cooling on apples before harvest. Another project begun last year is on bin sanitation. Past research has focused on foodborne pathogens on wooden and plastic cutting boards, but no food safety risk data are available for wood and plastic fruit bins. "Bin sanitation is not just a packing house issue," Kill- inger said, adding that the research is taking a systems approach. "What happens to bins in the field can cer- tainly impact the sanitation of those bins once they are back at the packing house." Killinger said validating pathogenic strains and poten- tial surrogates in the lab is an important component of research. "The lab is important because we want to have research results that will be accepted by FDA and govern- ment agencies. But field work is important, too, because any research must be validated in the field, in real world." She warned that food safety is a never- ending bat- tle, requiring continued vigilance. "This never will be really done because pathogens will continue to be out there, and in 20 years, we'll have new pathogens to worry about." Acceptance Washington's tree fruit industry has made tremen- dous improvement in complying with the food safety program of Costco Wholesale, said Milinda Dwyer, another speaker on the panel. Dwyer, who's responsible for the megaretailer's produce food safety, said Costco appreciates the industry's efforts and hard work to meet its requirements. "We know they haven't been all that popular with growers," she said in speaking of Costco's addendums, a list of additional requirements that go beyond most certification programs. She invited growers and trade associations to share any food safety problem areas with her, noting that Costco has made changes to their requirements in the past after learning more about industry issues. 40 APRIL 1, 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com REDUCING RISK at every opportunity Research is assessing the food safety risks of tree fruit production practices. by Melissa Hansen "It's about producing a safe product. And being able to sleep better at night." Warren Morgan, Double Diamond Fruit

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Good Fruit Grower - April 1