Produce Bites

Participating in a Produce Safety Risk Assessment (PSRA) is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to selling safe produce. In this episode, you'll hear from Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hutchison and Morgan Anderson, as well as Simon Yevzelman, leader of food safety and compliance at Planted Detroit, and Elizabeth Visser, manager at Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids. Simon and Eliza...

This episode features Phil Tocco, MSU Extension Produce Safety Educator, and Morgan Anderson, Michigan Conservation District Produce Safety Technician. They discuss the importance of maintaining a regular cleaning and sanitizing schedule, and provide guidance on what to pay attention to when conducting a deep clean before the season starts. Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the...

Considering how you store and organize tools is essential for food safety on the farm. In this episode, Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hutchison and Morgan Anderson discuss best practices for tool storage in order to reduce cross contamination risks.  Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the p...

Phil Tocco, Emily Hollingsworth, and Morgan Anderson, members of the Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety team, recently met up at the Northwest Orchard and Vineyard Show to discuss what growers need to know about the Agricultural Water Rule. In this episode, they provide an overview of the Ag Water Rule, and discuss what is currently known and unknown about the proposed rule.  Funding for this po...

In this episode, Landen Tetil and Eli Hopp talk about the Upper Peninsula Food Exchange (UPFE), which is a food hub that supports local food systems in the Upper Peninsula. They specifically discuss what UPFE's food safety policies are for produce vendors and how Michigan Produce Safety Technicians can help farmers meet these expectations.  Funding for this podcast was made possible in part b...

Produce Safety Technicians are a completely free resource to provide education and technical assistance at your convenience. Technicians can administer a Produce Safety Risk Assessment, help you develop a Farm Food Safety Plan, and describe the expectations and the process of a Produce Safety Inspection, all with complete confidentiality.  In this episode, Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hut...

What are the food safety risks of using harvested rainwater? In this episode, Mariel Borgman and Micah Hutchison   talk with Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein about her research on harvested rainwater quality and whether or not it's safe to use for irrigation. Additional Resources Rachel's article on harvested rainwater quality from a first flush system:   https://www.sciencedirect.com/scie...

This month, Produce Safety Technicians Landen Tetil and Breanna Hannula discuss the cross contamination risks with shared equipment. This could be a tractor used in both livestock and produce areas, or a sink you use to wash both eggs and fresh produce. Listen up on this episode of Produce Bites! Additional Resources: Article:  Tips On Shared-Use Equipment in The Wash-Pack Article: Risks of C...

In this episode, Jordan DeVries, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician, sits down with Elizabeth Visser, farm manager at Blandford Nature Center. They discuss the produce safety efforts put into place at Blandford, and how Liz communicates the value of food safety to the customers and crew. Connect with Blandford Nature Center on their website or Instagram! Website: https://www.blandfordnaturecente...

In this episode, Michigan Produce Safety Technicians Landen Tetil and Micah Hutchison discuss some of the requirements (the "musts") of the Produce Safety Rule, and some creative ways that growers can go about meeting these requirements. Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do no...

This episode features Gianna Costa, Food Safety Quality and Assurance Manager for Square Roots indoor farm, and Phil Tocco, a statewide Produce Safety Educator with Michigan State University Extension. They talk about how Square Roots works as an indoor growing operation, how they mitigate food safety hazards, and how they build a culture of food safety. Square Roots website: https://www.squareroo...

Food contact surfaces are extremely important to keep clean in order to reduce the spread of pathogens. When we think of areas that produce comes into contact with, we typically think of a table or a harvest container, but what are some other surfaces that aren't usually considered? In this episode, Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hutchison and Landen Tetil talk about certain food contact surface...

In this episode, you'll hear from Olivia Smith, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University, and Phil Tocco, an MSU Extension Educator. They discuss the factors that influence the relative risk of birds to food safety. Additional Resources Articles Published in Scientific Journals: Complex landscapes stabilize farm bird communities and their expected ecosystem services Are we overestima...

This episode features Emily Hale, Produce Safety Technician with the Blue Water Conservation District, Jordan DeVries, Produce Safety Technician with the Newaygo Conservation District, and Ben Phillips, MSU Extension Educator. They talk about their experiences with On-Farm Readiness Reviews and discuss areas of improvement they see most commonly on farms when it comes to produce safety.  Fund...

The FDA recently proposed changes to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water Rule requirements. In this episode, Phil Tocco, Food Safety Educator with Michigan State University Extension, and Annalisa Hultberg, Food Safety Educator with the University of Minnesota, discuss the proposed changes to the rule and provide guidance on how to submit comments. Comments can be written and faxed to...

This episode features Landen Tetil, Produce Safety Technician with the Marquette County Conservation District, and Les Bourquin, Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University. They talk about produce safety risks to keep in mind when it comes to on-farm apple cider production. Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Adm...

This episode features Barb Roth, owner of Red Barn Market in Lowell Michigan, and Mariel Borgman, Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. They discuss various food safety risks on U-Pick farms and how you can mitigate them. Resources: Contact your local Produce Safety Technician Michigan Agritourism Association Worker Training Resources and Templates Funding for this podcast was made p...

This episode features Lori Yelton, Nutrition and Food Management Consultant with MDARD, Mary Rose Vanas, Food Service Director for Shelby Public Schools, Landen Tetil, Produce Safety Technician with the Marquette County Conversation District, and Mariel Borgman, Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. They discuss the value farm to school has on the community, and provide their own per...

Whether it's mice, rats, birds, or rabbits, many growers struggle with managing pests on the farm. In this episode, Phil Tocco , a Produce Safety Educator with MSU Extension, and Emily Hale , a Produce Safety Technician with the Blue Water Conservation District, give some advice on how to keep these pests under control. Additional Resources Animals in Production Areas – Article by Emily Hale...

This month's podcast features Eligio Larraga with the Michigan Farm Bureau and Jordan DeVries, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician. In this episode, Eligio and Jordan sit down and discuss produce safety training for H-2A workers.  Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not...

What does it mean to create a culture of food safety? Micah Hutchison , a Produce Safety Technician, and Mariel Borgman , an MSU Extension Educator, sit down and discuss the things, ideas, and activities all employees should share to promote a good food safety culture on the farm. Additional Resources Glitterbug Handwashing Activity Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food an...

This episode features Micah Hutchison, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician, and Parker Jones, a Michigan State University Extension Educator and Innovation Counselor. Enjoy this animated and informative discussion where Parker and Micah compare notes and offer some affordable and earth friendly solutions to common on farm produce safety challenges, including produce packaging, hand washing and mo...

This episode features Landen Tetil , a Produce Safety Technician in the Marquette County Conservation District, and Mariel Borgman , an MSU Extension Educator based out of Kalamazoo County. They discuss the importance of farm food safety plans, how to get started, what information should be included, and more. For a farm food safety plan template, take a look at the "Record Keeping" section on the...

This episode features Micah Hutchison, a Produce Safety Technician with the Genesee Conservation District, and Ginny Farah, who works with the Edible Flint Educational Farm in Flint, Michigan. They provide some insight into training farm workers and volunteers on produce safety practices.  Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR...

Figuring out whether or not your farm is covered or exempt from the FSMA Produce Safety Rule can be confusing. In this episode, you'll hear from Emily Hale, a Produce Safety Technician covering the east side of Michigan, and Rich and Cindy Kern, co-owners of Cardinal Farms in South Lyon, Michigan. Emily will walk the Kerns through a series of questions to help them determine how the rule applies t...