Southern University Ag Center professor Fatemah Malekian, far left, demonstrates the importance of proper hand washing at a food safety workshop in Hammond on Feb. 13. At right is an image of Ahmad Robertson’s hands that a machine projects, showing areas with more bacteria as white. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Melanie Lewis Ivey tells attendees of a Feb. 13 food safety workshop how to collect and submit a water sample. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

LSU AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari discusses foodborne illnesses at a Feb. 13 food safety workshop in Hammond. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter

HAMMOND, La. – Fresh produce growers learned about ways to reduce food safety risks on their farms at a series of workshops held around Louisiana by the LSU AgCenter last week (Feb. 10-13).

AgCenter food safety specialist Achyut Adhikari said 48 million, or one in six, Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses every year. That statistic prompted the Food Safety Modernization Act, which will require farmers to take preventative measures against food safety risks once the Food and Drug Administration finalizes rules to enforce the law.

Illness-causing pathogens, such as salmonella and listeria, come from a variety of sources. The most common source is fecal matter, Adhikari said, which can be spread by water, wildlife, waste and workers.

Fortunately, simple steps like hand washing, using clean equipment and keeping wildlife away — things many farmers already do — can cut down on contamination. What’s more difficult is keeping the records to prove it, which FSMA will require.

Farmers must also document their food safety efforts if they want to become certified for Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices. GAPs and GHPs are market-driven, voluntary practices that farmers can implement to reduce food safety risks, Adhikari said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture handles certification, which is required by many retail stores that buy fresh produce.

If growers pass a GAPs audit — an on-farm inspection that is part of the certification process — they will likely comply with FSMA rules, too, Adhikari said. Audits are performed in Louisiana by the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Audrey Carrier, an LDAF auditor, said GAPs audits are performed annually for an hourly fee of $92, plus a $50 administrative fee. Farmers must contact LDAF if they want to be audited.

Farm owners must establish a food safety plan and designate someone to oversee it, Carrier said. Any policy they create should be enforced, even for visitors.

“Use your judgment for your plan,” she said. “You should clean things regularly, but that depends on whatever is adequate for your farm.”

While there is some flexibility, the auditor doing the inspection will tour the entire farm with a checklist of food safety measures. Points are awarded for each measure that is present on the farm. The passing rate is 80 percent of the possible points, Carrier said.

The audit is stopped if there are any “obvious risks,” Carrier said, such as excessive insects and rodents. If that happens, the auditor and farmer can decide on corrective actions and redo the audit later. Often, that means retraining workers.

Fatemah Malekian, Southern University Ag Center professor, said the health of farm workers is key to food safety. Farm operators must provide adequate restroom facilities for workers and keep them clean and stocked with supplies. Proper hand washing is a big step toward preventing illness, Malekian said.

Farm operators also need to be familiar with symptoms of foodborne illnesses. If a worker is sick, they should be sent home, or at least given a task that can be done without touching produce.

“Farmers do many of these things already,” Malekian said. “You just need to document it and organize all of it, and sometimes make a few changes.”

Melanie Lewis Ivey, AgCenter plant pathologist, said vegetables are water-intensive crops, which is somewhat problematic because many food and plant pathogens are waterborne. Louisiana’s surface water is a welcoming host for pathogens, so it is best to irrigate with ground or municipal water, she said.

Drip or furrow irrigation is preferable to overhead irrigation, which sprays potentially contaminated water directly onto plants, Ivey said.

Growers should keep biological test results of their irrigation water on file, Ivey said. Water companies can provide that information about municipal water, while surface and groundwater must be tested by a certified lab, such as the one at the AgCenter.

Charlie Graham, AgCenter pecan specialist, said many produce growers use manure to fertilize crops, but they must be careful in doing so. FSMA and GAPs allow the use of untreated manure on soil before planting, but it’s better to treat it.

Manure can be passively treated by letting it sit in a pile for six months. It can also be actively treated, or composted, by turning the pile periodically over a 45- to 60-day period.

Composted manure can be applied 30 to 45 days before harvest. More caution must be taken with passively treated manure.

“It will still have some pathogens in it, so avoid using it for root or leafy crops,” Graham said. “For other crops, it’s safe to apply it 90 to 120 days before harvest.”

If those waiting periods are not feasible, don’t use manure at all, Graham said.

Sometimes manure arrives on a farm unintentionally due to wild animals, especially feral hogs. To be GAPs certified, growers need to make an effort to keep animals away, such as installing an electric fence, noise cannons or traps, said AgCenter vegetable specialist Kiki Fontenot.

“GAPs doesn’t mean complete elimination of these problems,” she said. “It’s about showing that you’re taking preventative measures.”

Before harvesting, growers should check if there’s evidence of animals or workers not complying with hygiene rules. If so, they shouldn’t harvest the crops in affected areas, Fontenot said.

Unlike row crops, which are typically harvested with combines, produce harvest is labor-intensive, Fontenot said. It can be easy to overlook tasks like cleaning knives and pruners, but they are still important.

Harvested crops should be removed from the field as soon as possible and stored in an area that has been sanitized with food-grade products, Fontenot said.

While packing produce, Fontenot suggests labeling boxes with the farm’s name, a field number and the date. Traceability is critical in case of a recall, she said.

Olivia McClure