Potato cleaning at Open Door Farm in Cedar Grove, NC. From the CFSA workshop, Scale-Appropriate Equipment for Increased Efficiency & Mechanization on Small Farms. Credit: Stacey Sprenz

Have you ever heard the word audit and thought that it sounds exciting? More than likely not. Going through any inspection, especially related to your farm, feels overwhelming and invasive. But, if you are a produce grower, you may have heard of the term “GAP Audit.” A Good Agricultural Practices audit is a certification offered to the fruit and vegetable industry to verify an operation’s efforts to minimize the risk of contamination of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts by microbial pathogens and other foodborne hazards. In short, how do we ensure the product we buy is safe?

Buyers are looking for growers like yourself; many will want to verify you are a reputable supplier. GAP certification helps them ensure that. But how do you prepare to take your farm business to the next level? This article will cover some highlights to get you started and provide additional resources to explore.

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By Angie Lavezzo, CFSA Communications Coordinator | Tuesday, May 3, 2022 –

Farmer Chris Neal and his family grow 110 acres of butter beans on their farm, Carolina Butter Beans & Produce Farm, in Goldsboro, NC. They grow other crops like squash, okra, cucumbers, and sweet onions, but butter beans are their specialty, though, and folks in the South, this author included, love our butter beans. Growing the roughly 10,000 bushels of beans–equivalant to approximately 40,000 lbs.–a year is a family affair. Wendy, Chris’s wife, keeps the books and is a school teacher. Their two sons, Hayden and Will, are third-generation farmers in the making. Hayden, the oldest, works as the farm manager while he finishes his degree in agriculture. Will, the youngest, helps out with harvesting and running equipment when not playing sports for his school team. Just like Chris, both sons have expressed interest in following in the family footsteps. (more…)

by Kim Butz, CFSA South Carolina Local Produce Safety Coordinator | Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 —
Food allergy spelled out in blocks with allergy food piled behind it (almonds, milk, cheese, strawberry, seeds, eggs, peanuts and crustaceans or shrimp)

When we think of farming, we rarely associate our farming practices with potentially life-threatening allergens.

Many of the farms I visit are undergoing preparation for their Harmonized GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification, and it is necessary to ask if allergens are present on the farm as part of the standard requirements. I often ask this question to my produce farmers while standing next to a chicken coop brimming with eggs or a picture-perfect peanut field. Commonly, I hear back, “no, no allergens on the farm.”

This is not surprising; many do not realize that six out of the top eight allergens can easily be found on a diversified Carolina farm.

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by Patricia Tripp, CFSA’s Local Produce Safety Manager | Jul. 14, 2017 – 

Product Recall banner

Growers that do everything right may still find themselves in a recall situation. Be ready with a Mock Recall.

The process of conducting a mock recall in preparation for a GAP audit is one of the requirements for GAP certification, but many growers feel that performing a mock recall may be misunderstood by buyers. The fear is that buyers will mistake a mock recall for a true recall. Fortunately, this is an industry-standard and the majority of wholesale buyers are accustomed to assisting growers with this exercise.

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by James Cooper, CFSA’s Local Produce Safety Coordinator

veggie standProduce contamination at the farm level can come from many different sources, including but not limited to: water, wildlife, livestock, soil amendments, and humans. Regardless of whether or not you are seeking Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) certification or are required to be compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), every farmer and their employees should understand the important role proper health and hygiene has on food safety and the health of your customers.

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