Twinn Falls, Idaho
April 24, 2008
Farms whose produce is used in
federal food programs or sold to an increasing number of major
processors and freshpackers must pass USDA Good Agricultural
Practices audits. To help Idaho’s potato growers clear the audit
hurdles, University of Idaho
Extension educators have developed a Web site on which producers
can learn about the audit’s procedures and requirements,
familiarize themselves with the paperwork an Idaho State
Department of Agriculture auditor might ask to see, and fill in
the forms electronically. The site can be found at
www.kimberly.uidaho.edu/potatoes/gap.htm.
“We are trying to make it really easy and offer a one-stop
source so growers can get all of their information here,” said
Nora Olsen, a University of Idaho Extension potato specialist
who worked on the site with Extension educators Steve Hines and
Dale Baker. The trio note that the effort is a proactive one,
because potato products have not been implicated in
contamination incidents.
“Our whole idea was to streamline the process so growers would
know ahead of time what documents they need to maintain,” said
Baker. “We included a standard operating procedures document
they can use and samples of all of the recordkeeping documents
that are necessary to comply with the audit. Some of the audits
will take place during the harvest period, so this is something
growers don’t want to take a lot of time to work up during a
busy season. If they have those documents on file and filled
out, they can show them to the auditor and go back to work.”
Since 9/11, consumers have stepped up their demands for proof
that their food is safe to eat, said Becky Baker, food safety
supervisor at Potandon in Idaho Falls. The way to meet that
customer-driven requirement is with audits and certification
procedures, Baker said, which is why Potandon is requiring all
of the growers with whom it is contracting to participate in the
certification process.
Baker expects the Web site to be “very useful. It really isn’t
difficult to be certified: it’s a matter of documenting growers’
activities on a farm in a more detailed manner so that their
program procedures, log sheets, employee training and water
tests can be audited.”
In addition to documents and standard operating procedures, the
Web site includes audit checklists, Spanish- and
English-language employee policy forms, and information on
ordering such items as employee training placards and videos.
Users can download the printed materials and compile their own
comprehensive manual in a three-ring binder.
“Growers can pull out what they need and put together a binder
that suits them,” said Todd Cornelison, industry relations
director for the Idaho Potato Commission, which provided some
financial support for the Web site’s development. “Growers are
in support of food safety, but these audits are obviously an
extra step and an extra cost during the growing season. We want
to make this step as easy and cost-effective as possible.”
For more information, contact Olsen at norao@uidaho.edu or (208)
736-3621.
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s
flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate
education and research university, bringing insight and
innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University
researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and
contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only
institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie
Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s
student population includes first-generation college students
and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree
options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of
a large university with the intimacy of small learning
communities. |
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