USDA to update GAP Harmonized Food Safety Standards

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is updating the Produce Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Harmonized Food Safety Standards for field operations, harvesting and post-harvest operations. The changes will align the USDA food safety audit checklists with the newly released Produce GAPs Harmonization Initiatives Standards, according to AMS.

The Produce GAPs Harmonization Initiative is an all-industry effort that develops food safety GAPs standards and audit checklists for pre-harvest and post-harvest operations that are applicable to all fresh produce commodities, all sizes of on-farm operations and all regions in the United States. The initiative is a collaborative effort on the part of growers, shippers, produce buyers, government agencies, audit organizations and other stakeholders.

USDA incorporated the Produce GAPs Harmonized Food Safety Standard into its GAPs food safety audit program in 2011. AMS provides voluntary GAPs audit services to the specialty crops industry that verify that fresh fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled and stored safely to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards.

The revised Produce GAPs Harmonized checklists go into effect on May 1. More information on the checklists and the USDA Produce GAPs Harmonized program are available at www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp/harmonized.

For more information, call Kenneth Petersen, chief of AMS Audit Services Branch, at 202-720-5021; or Jennifer Dougherty, ASB Audit Program coordinator and GAPs team lead, at 703-328-7562.