Food Safety
FOOD SAFETY CATEGORIES
SOP to Clean & Sanitize Apple Picking Bags
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
This is an SOP to clean and sanitize apple picking bags, developed by the Produce Safety Alliance, The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and the Lake Ontario Fruit Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Local Fruit Industry Employment Opportunities
The Lake Ontario Fruit Program would like to offer this space on our website to help the local fruit industry bring future employers and employees together. If you are looking for a local fruit industry job click on more details to see what is available.
Lake Ontario Fruit Webinar Recording & Video Links
LOF Fruit Bites
See details to check out quick "how to" videos on a variety of fruit and orchard topics.
Organizations Offering Respirator Fit Testing
Partial list of organizations offering respirator fit testing compiled by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH)
When inquiring, ask these organizations about their fee structure, whether or not they will come to you, and if they can test the brand and model of your mask(s). Note that this list is evolving and may change over time.
Listeria - Why is it Not Going Away? - Part II
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
Follow up to Part I article. The original part II article appeared in Issue 3 of the Fruit Notes newsletter, March 22, 2017.
Listeria - Why is it Not Going Away? - Part I
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
This is Part I of an important article on Listeria monocytogenes contamination on fresh produce. Included are descriptions of the deadly Jensen Farms outbreak on cantaloupe from Colorado in 2011 along with the Bidart Brothers (California) outbreak on fresh and caramelized apples in 2014 that also hospitalized and killed several people.
Some of the biology and the persistence of this deadly pathogen is discussed, as well as detection methods and possible places that can harbor Listeria and allow it to grow. How to reduce risk of Listeria contamination in the packinghouse is introduced.
Part II of the article is in the Second Issue of the Fruit Notes, Volume 17, Issue 2.
Microbial Water Quality Profile Calculator for Surface Water (FSMA requirments)
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
One of the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act is water testing for surface and ground water. Those growers using surface or ground water in production (pre-harvest) for crop protectant sprays or irrigation need to develop a Microbial Water Quality Profile (MWQP). This requires 20 water tests per surface source in the 2-4 years PRIOR to compliance dates. Large business (>$500K annual fresh produce sales over 3 years) need to be in compliance for the water requirement by January of 2020. The tests need to be quantified generic E.coli. The easiest way to develop your MWQP is to perform 5 tests each growing season from 2016-2019. Alternatively, you could do 6-7 tests per year from 2017-2019, or 10 tests/yr in 2018 and 2019. See the Excel spreadsheet below for the Western Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis's MWQP die-off calculator. Instructions are in the firs tab.
Food Safety Resources
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
The Produce Safety Alliance is your Link to stay updated on Food Safety as it applies to growers and packers. This includes updates of future requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Click here: The Produce Safety Alliance is your Link to stay updated on Food Safety as it applies to growers and packers. This includes updates of future requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Click here: producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Blueberries
Cherries
Currants
Gooseberries
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raspberries / Blackberries
Strawberries
Unusual Fruit
Upcoming Events
Fire Blight Informational Webinar Series
March 15, 2023 : Using biopesticides to help control fire blight
The team leading the national fire blight SCRI grant "Comprehensive Fire Blight Management for the United States" is hosting a webinar series. This multi-state series will address new research on best management practices for fire blight control.
June 13, 2023 : Pruning and sanitation strategies to reduce fire blight
The team leading the national fire blight SCRI grant "Comprehensive Fire Blight Management for the United States" is hosting a webinar series. This multi-state series will address new research on best management practices for fire blight control.
October 18, 2023 : Using weather and environmental conditions to optimize biologicals and biopesticides for bloom produ
The team leading the national fire blight SCRI grant "Comprehensive Fire Blight Management for the United States" is hosting a webinar series. This multi-state series will address new research on best management practices for fire blight control.