News Release
For Immediate Release — August 3, 2009
UT Extension to Conduct Food Safety Workshop
and Field and Packinghouse Mock Audit
Knoxville, Tenn. — Food Safety is becoming increasingly important to growers and consumers alike. Prior to the E. coli outbreak in spinach in 2006 and Salmonella outbreak in pepper in 2008, many commercial growers voluntarily complied with some or all of the food safety guidelines set forth by the FDA. Since 2008, however, several commodity groups, state departments of agriculture, and wholesalers and retailers have made compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) mandatory, often requiring third-party Food Safety Audits of farming operations.
To provide growers all the information they need to meet these new requirements, University of Tennessee Extension, the outreach arm of the UT Institute of Agriculture, will present a food safety workshop and field and packing house mock audit on August 20, 2009, at R & C Farms in Grainger County from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“What does a third party audit entail?” asks Annette Wszelaki, a commercial vegetable specialist with UT Extension, “and would your operation pass an audit if your buyer requires it?” Wszelaki says growers need to learn more about this important topic. The next opportunity, she says, would be at the August 20 workshop and mock audit. The sessions will be Beth Bland, the food safety coordinator for the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
“On July 30, the House of Representatives passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act, and we want Tennessee growers to be informed of and aware of the legislation, as well as other food safety issues,” said Wszelaki. “The workshop is designed to help growers prepare for new safety regulations and to be better, safer and more productive growers, capable of complying with many buyers’ requirements.”
The workshop is free, but pre-registration is required by August 13. Lunch will be provided. To register, please contact the Grainger County Extension Office at 865-828-3411.
For a workshop flyer and schedule, visit the Web site: http://vegetables.tennessee.edu. Look under “News & Announcements.”
The program is sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, Tennessee Farm Fresh and AquaPulse Systems.
UT Extension offers off-campus education and outreach for the UT Institute of Agriculture. Through UT Extension, the Institute brings research-based information about agriculture, family and consumer sciences, youth and resource development to the people of Tennessee where they live and work.
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Contact: Dr. Annette Wszelaki, Assistant Professor, Commercial Vegetable Extension Specialist, Department of Plant Sciences, 865-974-7342
Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications, 615-835-4570, pmcdaniels@tennessee.edu