GAP Food Safety Plan/SOP Manual

If you have a logo, you might want to put it here—show that the plan is yours—you didn’t just copy something off the internet.

(Name of operation here)

GAP Food Safety Plan/SOP Manual

This plan reflects food safety and sanitation operations on this farm.

Name:Date:

Signature:

Table of ContentsPage Number

Farm information sheet

Operation mission statement/description

Farm/field site descriptions

Farm/field maps

Farm Food Safety practices, policies, records

General Questions and Foundation Programs

Worker health and hygiene

Water and sewage

Land use history, flooding and soil contamination

Traceback program

Part 1: Farm review

Part 2: Field harvest and packing

House Packing Facility Practices

Part 3: House packing facility

Part 4: Storage and transportation

Appendix

Adapted from Penn State University GAP template found at:

Farm Information Sheet

Farm/operation
Farm/operation name:
Farm/operation mailing address:
Personnel
Farm owner/manager:
Phone number 1: / Phone number 2: / FAX number:
Email address:
Food safety program manager (if different from above):
Phone number 1: / Phone number 2: / FAX number:
Email address:
Farm Description
Number of fields/growing sites:
Total acres farmed:
Number of packing houses:
Toilet Facilities
Cleaning and maintenance of toilets
Performed by grower
Contracted service

Operation mission statement/description
Farm Map

Use this if all fields are contiguous and/or to show the location of a house, septic system, or packing house in relation to field locations.

Be sure to locate and identify on the map:

Page 1 of 21

production areas (labeled according to traceback scheme)
field packing, and staging areas
field sanitation units
active wells
surface water sources
regular or recent flooding areas
manure storage sites
septic systems
any important residential/commercial/other facilities adjacent to farm, such as sewage treatment sites, landfills, dairy or animal farms, etc.

Page 1 of 21

Farm Site # or Name:

(Use one of these for each non-contiguous field sites.)

Site name/identifier:
Site address:
GPS coordinates Latitude: / Longitude:
Agricultural activities conducted on site:
Crop production only Crop production  Crop and animal production
Permanent or temporary housing
Previous land use:
If all or part of this crop has been grown on this land for less than 5 years, describe previous land use.
Adjacent land use:
Crop production Dairy, livestock Manure storage, dumping
Water shed (river, stream, etc.) Municipal waste facility, landfill
Residential w/septic Golf course Commercial/industrial
Water use and source
Water use / Municipal / Well / Surface
Drinking
Hand washing
Cleaning food contact surfaces
Irrigation
Pesticide application
Fertilizer application
Manure, Sewage, Toilets
Manure use
No manure or biosolids used on site
Raw manure or biosolids used on site
Composted manure or biosolids used on site
Manure storage
No manure or biosolids stored on site
Raw manure or biosolids stored on site
Sewage
Municipal sewer system
Septic system
Portable containment system
Toilet facilities
Indoor
Portable
Not available on site

Crop(s) grown on this site

(List acres owned, leased/rented, contracted, and/or consigned for each crop)

Crop(s) / Identifier / Area under cultivation (acres)
Total area under cultivation:

Field Map

Use one of these for each non-contiguous field site.

Be sure to locate and identify on the map:

Page 1 of 21

production areas (labeled according to traceback scheme)
field packing, and staging areas
field sanitation units
active wells
surface water sources
regular or recent flooding areas
manure storage sites
septic systems
any important residential/commercial/other facilities adjacent to farm, such as sewage treatment sites, landfills, dairy or animal farms, etc.

Page 1 of 21

General Questions(G)

and Foundation Programs

Worker Health and Hygiene

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses worker health and hygiene

Develop a policy that consists of a list of standard personal hygiene practices, such as:

Personal hygiene policy for employees and visitors (hand washing, glove use, attire, personal cleanliness); policies regarding smoking/eating in food production/processing areas

See sample policies here. (Worker health and hygiene policy; visitor hygiene policy)

Develop and include a worker health/illness policy that includes:

Illness policy that indicates when an employee should not work (with food)

What to do if there is the risk of contamination by blood/bodily fluids
Reporting incidents and seeking treatment for injuries requiring first aid

See sample policy here. (Illness, injury reporting log)

Policy should be read by/to employees and signed (could be part of training program)

Post signs that remind employees to wash hands before beginning and after returning to work

Conduct worker health and hygiene training for all new employees and as needed each season or when retraining is warranted; document training.

Require/conduct worker training for those handling pesticides and other chemicals.

Document that potable water is available to all workers for drinking and handwashing

A daily schedule for cleaning and servicing toilet facilities is posted. Work is assigned. Workers are trained regarding method for cleaning and sanitizing facilities and providing paper towels, soap, toilet paper and trash container.

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Potable water testing (drinking water, hand washing) record(see water source and testing record)
Training records
Toilet facility cleaning/servicing record
Training/certification records for pesticide application and/or application of non-regulated substances

General Questions (G)

and Foundation Programs

Water Quality

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses water quality

Document the source of water used in the fields, packing houses, barns, bathrooms/toilets, and for employee drinking water

Conduct and document (in writing)a water quality assessment that determines quality of water used for both irrigation and chemical/fertilizer application.

Include a schedule for testing water sources used for irrigation and chemical application
Do not limit your assessment to tests only. Include how you know that your water source isnot contaminated; do you have flooding and how do you address it; what types of irrigation/chemical/fertilizer application do you do (as it relates to water quality); etc.
Identify steps taken to protect irrigation and chemical application water sources and describe here. What are potential sources of contamination of your water sources? Are you protecting the source from that or what are you doing?

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Water source and testing record
Irrigation and/or chemical/fertilizer water quality assessment

Sewage Treatment

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures: How the operation addresses sewage treatment

(Information regarding adjacent land use/municipal, commercial sewage treatment or landfills is included in farm/field information sheets.) Be sure to identify any sewage treatment operations, landfills, or septic systems on your field/farm maps.

Describe farm sewage treatment system and how integrity is assured (maintenance plan, etc.)

General Questions (G)

and Foundation Programs

Land use history, flooding and soil contamination

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures: How the operation addresses land/soil use history; flooding

Assess and describe yourland use/soil risk. What are potential sources of contamination of your soil? Nearby manure piles, sewerage plants, previous land use, etc.

Indicate if flooding is an issue, what is done if flooding occurs, how you test the soil after a flooding event and how you respond to the results.

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

If soil has history of contamination or flooding, document how you assessed and mitigated the risks.

Soil contamination, flooding assessment and mitigation record

Traceability

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses traceability

Write and include your traceback plan here. In the plan, include:

Field identifiers (see Part 1, question 26)
Harvested product identifiers (lot, harvest date, product, operation identifier, etc.)
A system for keeping records of product receiving (including equipment and supplies such as storage bins, shipping containers, packaging, plant chemicals, etc.)

A system for keeping records of product sales/distribution

Describe how you will conduct a mock recall.

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Traceback and recall procedures, including:

Field/area identifiers

Harvested product identifiers

Receiving records and product sales/distribution records as part of the traceability program

Record of a mock recall

Part 1: Farm Review

Note: traceability, water quality risks, sewage treatment, soils and land use, are addressed in General Questions and Foundation Programs section.

Animals, wildlife, livestock

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses presence of animals, wildlife, livestock

(Information regarding adjacent land use for dairy, livestock operations is included in farm/field information sheets.)

Describe (in writing) how the operation addresses presence of animals, wildlife, livestock including:

Barriers to on-farm livestock, dairy, poultry or other animal operations, including barriers to irrigation water sources
How crop production areas are monitored for presence or signs of wild or domestic animals
Measures taken to reduce opportunities for wild/domestic animals to enter production areas

Describe (in writing) manure storage practices including containment and addressing runoff

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Animal, wildlife monitoring log

Part I: Farm Review

Manure, biosolids

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses use of manure/biosolids

Option A: Raw Manure

Include a description of how raw manure is stored, applied and managed

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Raw manure application log

Option B: Composted Manure

Include a description of how manure/biosolids are composted and/or treated. If this is done by someone else, get the information from them. Include specifications provided to your supplier.

Include a description of composted manure/biosolids use, storage and management practices

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Composted manure treatment/composting, analysis and application log

Option C: No Manure/Biosolids used

If no manure/biosolids is used, include a written statement of this policy

Part 2: Field harvest and packing

Note: worker health and hygiene, water source and testing and traceback programs are addressed in the General Questions and Foundation Programs section.

Field sanitation and hygiene

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures:

How the operation addresses field sanitation and hygiene

Develop a plan for apre-harvest assessment. The assessment may have some entries that should be checked at the beginning of the season oron each harvest day.

Conduct the assessment; include results here. The assessment is basically a self-audit that asks these questions (you could use this as a simple check list for the assessment):

Are toilet and wash facilities properly located?
Is potable water available for workers?
Are harvest containers available, clean, well located and protected?
Is harvest equipment available and in good condition?
Is there evidence of unauthorized entry in the crop area and if so, has it been investigated?
Is there evidence of domestic or wild animal crop damage?
Is there evidence of physical contamination in the crop area?
Are fuel and chemicals which might contaminate crop areas isolated?
If areas are contaminated are they isolated for "no-harvest"?
Are there any other notable sources of biological or physical contamination such as dump sites, manure, burning debris, water that may affect food safety?
Is transportation equipment clean and available?

The assessment may include other information such as condition of the weather and or crops.

Describe the availability, use, placement, and servicing of field sanitation units (if no field units are used, describe accessibility of sanitation facilities for employees).

Write a response plan for the event of a field sanitation unit spill or leak.

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Pre-harvest assessment, seasonal, daily

Part 2: Field harvest and packing

Field harvest and transportation

Practices/Standard Operating Procedures: How the operation addresses field harvest and transportation

Describe (in writing)Good Harvesting Practices/Standard Operating Procedures including:

How you are going to wash and/or sanitize, store, maintain and protect harvest bins andequipment (including knives, pruners, machetes, etc.), and containers.
How you are going to keep transportation/product hauling vehicles clean and maintained.
How you are going to address the use of glass, lightbulbs, etc. in the field and what you will do if there is breakage.
How you are going to address use of chemicals, oil, etc. during harvest (especially on equipment), etc.
How you are going to inspect, remove foreign objects (glass, metal, rocks, etc.) from mechanically harvested products, if applicable.
How you are going to address the use of harvesting containers during harvest season (not to be used for non-produce items), including removal of excess dirt, mud.
How water is used during harvest

-Include any water testing that proves water used to wash produce in the field is potable

How product is protected from contamination during transportation from field
If product is packed for sale in the field, packaging materials/containers are new or cleaned/sanitized
How packaging materials are protected during storage
How product is labeled/identified in the field as part of the traceback program (see General Questions for documentation)

Describe (in a sentence or two) how you train employees regarding the above practices.

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentationand a filing system for the following:

Water testing for product washing/cooling in field(see water source testing log in General Questions and Foundation Programs)
For field packing, container purchase(see receiving records, General Questions and Foundation Programs) and/or sanitizing log for harvest containers

Product/field traceback documentation (see General Questions and Foundation Programs for this)

Cleaning and/or sanitation logs for harvest containers, harvest equipment and vehicles

Part 3: House Packing Facility

Note: water source and testing, worker health and hygiene and traceback programs are addressed in the General Questions and Foundation Programs section.

Receiving

GHP/GMP: How the operation addresses receiving practices

Describe(in writing) receiving, staging and storage practices that minimize contamination

Washing, packing line

GHP/GMP: How the operation addresses sanitation of washing and packing line

Describe practices (in writing) used during washing/packing that minimize contamination. Include:

Source of water (including documentation of potability, water testing)(see General Questions and Foundation Programs section)
Temperature of water used for specific products, if applicable, and how it is monitored
Water treatment method(appropriateness, strength, pH, water temp, exposure time, monitoring method)
How water contact surfaces are cleaned/sanitized on a regular basis
How food contact surfaces are cleaned/sanitized, and maintained
How product is protected from contamination (by water, condensation, dust, etc.)
How ice is manufactured, transported, stored

Develop record keeping system, including logs or forms for documentation and a filing system for the following:

Water source test results (water used for cleaning, ice making, hand washing, etc.) (see General Questions and Foundation Programs section)

Processing water treatment monitoring log
Thermometer calibration log
Packing line food and water contact surface cleaning and sanitizing log (see packing house cleaning and sanitizing check lists)

Part 3: House Packing Facility

Packing house worker health and hygiene

GHP/GMP: How the operation addresses worker health and hygiene

Worker health and hygiene policies are listed in General Questions and Foundation Programs section. The policies identified here are specific to the packing house.