Harvest and Postharvest Activities
Answer reach of the following questions in order. You will use this information to prepare your manual.
1. Do you grow a crop considered to be an allergen such as tree nuts?
Yes – Products such as tree nuts are considered to be allergens by the FDA. Allergens require specific procedures to ensure that cross contamination between crops does not occur if other crops are handled.
No – go to number 2.
2. Have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) been developed for cleaning and sanitizing harvesting equipment and tools?
Yes – go to number 2.
No – SOPs are required as they provide a detailed, step-by-step process of how to clean and sanitize equipment and tools.
3. Have workers been trained to follow farm SOPs to properly clean and sanitize harvesting tools (e.g. knives, blades, and buckets) and equipment?
Yes – go to number 3.
No – Workers must be trained to ensure they use the correct methods to clean and sanitize tools and equipment.
4. Are workers trained to change harvesting gloves (if worn) when they are dirty?
Yes – go to number 4.
No - Workers must be trained to change gloves when they are unacceptably soiled. Workers must also be trained to wash their hands before work, before and after eating, after using the toilet, and whenever their hands are may be contaminated, regardless of whether or not gloves are worn.
5. Do you sort, package, wash, or grade produce in a packing house, shed, or other structure?
Yes – go to number 5.
No – go to number 17.
6. Have you diagrammed the flow of produce through the packing area and identified all the food contact surfaces (places where fresh produce touches equipment, brushes, rollers, boxes, etc.)?
Yes – go to number 6.
No - To develop an effective sanitation program, it is important to understand how fresh produce moves through the packing area and identify all surfaces fresh produce may contact. Once the flow and contact surfaces are identified, an effective sanitation plan can be developed.
7. Are all food contact surfaces in the packing area (for example grading tables, conveyor belts, tools, bins) able to be cleaned and sanitized?
Yes – go to number 7.
No - Any surface that fresh produce touches after being harvested may serve as a source of contamination. Packing areas, equipment, and surfaces must be constructed to allow easy cleaning and sanitizing. Moving parts such as rollers, brushes, or belts must be easily accessible for cleaning, or able to be removed during the cleaning process. A porous surface, such as wood, cannot be sanitized but it can be cleaned. When broken, replace equipment and tools with materials that can be easily cleaned and sanitized.
8. Have SOPs been developed for cleaning and sanitizing packing area equipment and tools?
Yes – go to number 8.
No - SOPs are required as they provide a detailed, step-by-step process of how to clean and sanitize equipment and tools.
9. Have workers been trained to follow SOPs to properly clean and sanitize packing area tools and equipment?
Yes – go to number 9.
No - Workers must be trained to ensure they use the correct methods to clean and sanitize tools and equipment.
10. Are workers trained to change or clean packing area aprons and gloves (if worn) when they are dirty?
Yes – go to number 10.
No - Workers must be trained to change disposable gloves often (if used). If reusable gloves are worn, they must be clean before starting a shift and must be changed when unacceptably soiled. Workers must also be trained to wash their hands before work, before and after eating, after using the toilet, and whenever their hands may be contaminated, regardless of whether or not gloves are worn. Hands must be washed before donning new gloves. Aprons and smocks must similarly be clean before use, and be changed when unacceptably dirty. Gloves and aprons must not be worn outside of the immediate work area. If the worker leaves the work immediate work area, these items must be stored in a designated clean and dry place (off of the ground)within the immediate work area.
11. Are the packing, sorting, and grading areas cleaned and sanitized at the end of each day of use?
Yes – go to number 11.
No - Daily cleaning is important to reduce the risk of microorganisms growing and persisting through the formation of biofilms. Daily cleaning also establishes a culture of cleanliness and prioritizes sanitation practices.
12. Are cull piles properly disposed of at the end of each day?
Yes – go to number 12.
No - Cull piles must be disposed of properly to avoid drawing unwanted pests into the packing and storage areas. Cull piles must not be located near the packing area and must be removed, composted properly or field spread on a weekly basis.
13. Have you established a pest monitoring and control program?
Yes – go to number 13.
No - A pest control program must be established to exclude or eliminate rodents, birds, and insects from postharvest handling and storage areas. If pest activity is found, methods to reduce or eliminate activity must be developed. This might include installing bird netting under roofs, adding screens to windows or setting traps. Traps must never be baited inside the packing area, as this may draw more pests into the area. The program must include regular monitoring and corrective actions if pest activity is found. In open air packing facilities, pest control is much more difficult, therefore precautions must be taken to keep produce covered and away from any potential pest contamination.
14. Do you remove as much dirt, mud, and debris as possible from fresh produce and produce bins or other field containers before entering the packing area?
Yes – go to number 14.
No - Any debris and dirt must be removed from fresh produce and produce containers as much as possible before they enter the packing area. This action keeps packing areas clean and prevents cross-contamination of the finished product. Dirt and debris can also decrease the efficacy of chlorine and other sanitizers if used.
15. Is produce always packed into new, single-use containers or reused containers that have been cleaned and sanitized?
Yes – go to number 15.
No - Fresh produce should always be packed into clean boxes to avoid cross contamination. If boxes are reused, they should be cleaned and when possible, sanitized to ensure produce safety.
16. Are packing containers and packaging materials stored in an area that is covered to reduce the potential for contamination by pests or environmental contamination such as windblown dirt?
Yes – go to number 16.
No - Packing containers and other packing materials must be stored in a way that protects them from contamination by pests, dirt, dust, and water condensing from overhead equipment and structures. If packing supplies are stored outside the packing facility, they must be covered or cleaned and sanitized before use.
17. Are refrigerated or cold storage rooms clean and used properly, ensuring the quantity of produce does not exceed the cooling capacity of the refrigerated room?
Yes – go to number 17.
No - All storage areas, including coolers, must be clean to reduce any risk of cross contamination. The quantity of produce stored in a refrigerated room must not exceed the room’s cooling capacity. Improper cooling methods or equipment may cause condensation to form and drip onto the produce, thereby increasing the risk for produce to become contaminated. Produce that is iced or may drip must not be stored above dry produce. If the cooler is used to store anything besides fresh produce (such as meat or eggs that might represent a contamination risk), be sure that those products are stored in designated areas below and away from fresh produce.
18. Is finished produce stored in an area that is cleaned regularly and inspected to ensure maintenance (including pest monitoring and control) is current?
Yes – go to number 18.
No - Produce storage areas must receive regular cleaning as determined by the farm’s SOPs. The storage area must be in good condition. The pest control program must actively monitor produce storage areas and have corrective actions in place if the produce has been compromised by pest damage. Pallets and boxes of packed produce should be stored at least 12” away from storage room walls to facilitate pest control programs. Record keeping must be kept to document cleaning, date completed, and if any additional actions are necessary.
19. Have glass and hard plastic objects (lights, gauges, windows etc.) been covered in some manner to contain breakage?
Yes – go to number 19.
No – Glass and hard plastic items must be prevented from contaminating the produce if these items should break. Covers, shields and film material must be applied to these items to contain breakage.
20. Are all chemicals labeled properly, and stored in a covered and locked area away from the produce?
Yes – you have completed this risk assessment.
No – Chemicals must be properly labeled and stored in a locked area that prevents possible contamination of the food product. Lubrication items must be of food grade and must be stored separate from other chemicals.