Farm Food Safety

Keeping up to date with current farm food safety standards is vital. Utilize Penn State Extension’s vast selection of resources encompassing produce safety regulations, good agricultural practices, proper storage and handling of farm food, developing a food safety plan, and more.

Farm Food Production in Pennsylvania

As a worldwide leader in agricultural, food, and lumber production, Pennsylvania set an all-time high for agricultural, food, and wood products, with more than $1 billion in exports in 2000. For all farm food producers, being compliant with food safety regulations and best practices is an important part of running a successful and responsible business.

In this section of the Penn State Extension website, you will gain an understanding of the latest farm food safety regulations, the seven rules of FSMA and compliance requirements, as well as good agricultural practices.

FSMA and Farm Food Safety Regulations

Training and certification have a fundamental role to play in fruit, vegetable, and animal production. They help ensure all food is fit for human consumption and general standards are maintained throughout the supply chain. For people who work in the farm food industry, an understanding of the legal requirements is also essential. Penn State Extension provides owners, managers, and farm food employees with the resources needed to ensure food of the highest quality is produced, and that it meets all farm food safety standards.

Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Grower Certification training, for example, introduces FSMA produce safety rules, good agricultural practices, and the co-management of natural resources and food safety. An in-depth understanding of produce safety rules and recognized food safety training is required by the FDA. FSMA affects thousands of producers and processors, large and small, and knowing whether the regulations apply to you and which products are covered should play an important part of your business plan.

Good Agricultural Practices

To guarantee the safety of food, farm food producers should follow Good Agricultural Practices or GAPs. GAPs are important because they keep the consumer safe and healthy, prevent crop and financial loss, and improve business performance and reputation.

GAP training in Best Practices for Fresh Produce Food Safety is available to help food safety managers disseminate relevant information to farm workers. A fundamental part of following good agricultural practices is to have a farm food safety plan. Developing a Farm Food Safety Plan is a course designed to help you write one.

Best practices should be applied throughout the food chain, from field to shelf. Growing a healthy crop, for example, requires a good quality supply of water. Produce handling during harvest should minimize bruising, surface abrasions, and cuts. Produce storage, from transport to shelf, also affects the quality of the food produced for the consumer.

Penn State Extension has many resources available in both Spanish and English; for example, the Food Safety Field Training Flip Chart for fresh produce handlers.

Of all the crops that are grown in Pennsylvania, mushrooms are the most iconic. The state leads the country in mushroom growing, with more than 63% of all US white mushrooms produced by Pennsylvanian farmers. When it comes to meeting the requirements of the FSMA and passing audits, there are standards specifically for the mushroom industry.