Food Producers and Processors
Food Safety Programs
UNH Cooperative Extension assists food producers and processors by providing
food safety programs, information, and resources. For more information,
please contact the Family and Consumer Resources or Agricultural Resources
Educator in your UNH Cooperative Extension county
office.
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
GAP is a food safety program for fruit and vegetables growers in New England.
The GAP program helps growers to evaluate every aspect of their operation
from a food safety perspective.
In New Hampshire, the GAP program includes an on-site food safety evaluation
using the Critique Checklist for Food Safety Practices. A team of UNH Cooperative
Extension Educators will visit the farm and works with the grower to critique
and discuss food safety practices at each step of the operation, including:
production area and harvest systems; produce handling and storage area;
produce processing; and produce sales area.
After the evaluation, growers receive a copy of the completed checklist
and a letter summarizing suggested changes to improve food safety. The
GAP program is free and confidential.
To schedule a GAP assessment, contact the Family and Consumer Sciences
Educator or Agricultural Resources Educator in your UNH Cooperative Extension
county office.
The New England Extension Food Safety Consortium has written a series
of 14 GAP fact sheets which are available through the University
of Connecticut Cooperative Extension website. Click on Contents for a listing of the
fact sheets available on line. These fact sheets cover a broad range of
suggestions and recommendations on manure handling, irrigation, and sanitation
in the field, barn, and pick-your-own operations.
Additional GAP resources include:
- Cornell University, Good Agricultural Practices Project
- University of California Good Agricultural Practices
- US Food and Drug Administration. Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
- Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Why Improve Food Safety Through Good Agricultural Practices (GAP’s)? Fact sheet in pdf format.
Developing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan or HACCP plan is required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) if you process seafood or juice and by the US Department of Agriculture if you process meat, poultry, or egg products. New Hampshire regulations require HACCP plans for some specialty food producers. Be sure to check with your federal and state regulators to determine if you are required to have and implement a HACCP plan.
HACCP is a preventive food safety system designed to identify and control hazards in your processing plant. A hazard is any biological, chemical or physical agent that is likely to cause illness or injury.
The HACCP process emphasizes process control and concentrates on points in food processing that are critical to food safety know as “critical control points.” Developing and implementing a HACCP plan is a collaborative process between the food processor and the regulatory agency.
For more information about HACCP, contact the Family and Consumer Resources Educator in your UNH Cooperative Extension county office.
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| US Government Food Safety Gateway Website | Link to all federal government HACCP resources through the Food Safety Gateway website. |
| US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) | A comprehensive website including general HACCP information and specific information on seafood and juice HACCP regulations. |
| Seafood HACCP Alliance for Training and Education, New York Sea Grant, Cornell University | Take a seafood HACCP course online. Registration fee required. |
| US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | A comprehensive website meat and poultry processors that includes the HACCP regulation, updates, sample plans, and resources.
|
| FDA/USDA | A comprehensive database of HACCP training programs and resources available throught the National Agricultural Library. |
| North Dakota State University Extension Service | View this online video – 7 Steps to Food Safety – on HACCP for food service establishments. |
