News Release Distributed 01/06/15
BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter will host four workshops in February to help fresh produce growers understand food safety risks and develop an on-farm food safety plan, according to AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari.
Specialists with the LSU AgCenter, Southern University Agricultural Center and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will give presentations on water quality, manure management, produce harvesting and storage, worker hygiene and recordkeeping.
The workshops will also cover Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices, which are voluntary practices that growers can implement to reduce food safety risks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture certifies growers who pass a GAPs inspection.
“The adoption of on-farm food safety practices will assist producers in managing risk and regulatory changes,” Adhikari said. The Food Safety Modernization Act will soon require growers to take steps to minimize contamination from sources such as water and animals.
Workshops on implementation of GAPs and GHPs will be held on dates to be announced later this year. People who attend both workshops — one in February and one later in the year — will be eligible for a program that will reimburse 75 percent of the fees charged for GAPs certification.
The workshops and financial aid are funded by the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
All of the meetings will begin at 8:45 a.m., break for a provided lunch and end at 4 p.m. Dates and locations are as follows:
— Feb. 10, Red River Research Station, 262 Research Station Drive, off U.S. Highway 71, south of Bossier City
— Feb. 11, Rapides Parish Extension Office, 300 Grady Britt Drive, Alexandria
— Feb. 12, Macon Ridge Research Station, 212A Macon Ridge Road, off La. Highway 15, south of Winnsboro
— Feb. 13, Hammond Research Station, 21549 Old Covington Highway, La. Highway 1067, east of Hammond
The workshops are free, but registration is required. For more information or to RSVP, contact Adhikari at ACAdhikari@agcenter.lsu.edu or 225-578-2529, or Robert Williams at RWilliams@agcenter.lsu.edu or 225-578-2417.
Olivia McClure