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UGA Extension contacts:
Judy Harrison, Mark Harrison, Ines Beltran, Laurel Dunn, and Carla Schwan

Under the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule, produce operations are mandated to provide training to their workers on the safe handling of produce in fields and in packing operations. Currently, there are few, if any, materials available for these operations to use. As we have conducted Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training across Georgia and throughout other areas, we have been requested to develop these much-needed materials. These materials provide food safety information, consistent with the Produce Safety Rule, for training workers on produce farms and/or farmer/growers of fresh produce and can also be used with low literacy audiences and Spanish speaking audiences as well.

Illustration of sources of farm contamination including livestock, crops, wild animals, toilets, pets, and people handling crops

These are some ways fruits and vegetables can get contaminated and cause people to get sick:

  • Farm animals, wild animals, or pets getting into irrigation water and contaminating water that will come in contact with the harvestable part of produce

  • Farm animals, wild animals, or pets getting into growing areas and leaving feces that can get on the harvestable part of produce

  • Workers going to the toilet and not washing their hands after using the toilet or before going back to work

  • Using dirty containers or tools for harvesting

  • Touching produce with dirty hands

Estas son algunas formas en que las frutas y las hortalizas se pueden contaminar y causar enfermedades a las personas:

  • Los animales de la granja, los animales salvajes, o las mascotas que entran en contacto con el agua de riego y contaminan el agua que estará en contacto con la parte cosechable del producto

  • Los animales de la granja, los animales salvajes, o las mascotas que entran en las áreas de cultivo y dejan sus heces que pueden entrar en contacto con la parte del producto que se cosecha

  • Los trabajadores que van al baño y no se lavan las manos después de usar el baño o antes de volver a su área de trabajo

  • Usar recipientes o herramientas sucios para la cosecha

  • Tocar los productos agrícolas con las manos sucias

Illustrations of various safety and cleanliness practices: reading product labels, wearing proper PPE, cleaning surfaces, and proper hand washing

  • Follow directions carefully when using detergents, sanitizers or other chemicals.

  • If you are working in the packinghouse and need to go to the toilet, hang your apron outside the toilet.

  • Wear clean clothes, shoes, aprons, and hair coverings when working in the packinghouse.

  • Tell your supervisor when you see a problem.

  • When you clean surfaces, be sure to rinse, scrub with detergent, rinse detergent and debris away and spray with sanitizer. Always follow label directions to be sure detergents and sanitizers are effective.

  • Eat only in the break area.

  • Always wash your hands after going to the toilet, after taking a break, after changing tasks, and always before working with produce.

  • Siga las instrucciones cuidadosamente al usar detergentes, desinfectantes u otros productos químicos.

  • Si está trabajando en el área de empaque y necesita ir al baño, cuelgue su delantal fuera del baño.

  • Cuando trabaje en el área de empaque, use ropa, zapatos, delantales limpios y una cofia o malla para cubrir el cabello.

  • Cuando vea un problema avísele a su supervisor.

  • Cuando limpie las superficies, asegúrese de enjuagar, tallar con detergente, enjuagar el detergente, y los residuos y rociar con desinfectante. Siempre siga las instrucciones de la etiqueta para asegurarse de que los detergentes y desinfectantes sean efectivos.

  • Coma solamente en el área designada para el descanso.

  • Siempre lávese las manos después de ir al baño, después de tomar un descanso, después de cambiar de tarea, y siempre antes de trabajar con los productos de cosecha.

Authors:

J. Harrison, Ph.D., University of Georgia
K. Woods, Ph.D., Auburn University
R. Boyer, Ph.D., Virginia Tech
M. Harrison, Ph. D., University of Georgia
A. Wszelaki, Ph.D., University of Tennessee
A. Villalba, M.S., Virginia Tech
M. Brown, B.S., Georgia Department of Agriculture
I. Beltran, M. Ed., University of Georgia

Edited by:

I. Beltran, M. Ed., University of Georgia
C. L. Schwan, Ph.D. University of Georgia
L. L. Dunn, Ph.D. University of Georgia

Funding Statements:

Funding for this statement, publication, press release, etc. was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of tradenames, commercial practices, or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This work is supported by Food Safety Outreach Program [grant No. 2016 0020-25888/project accession No. 1010671] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture


Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status, and is an Equal Opportunity Institution.