Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook - 2021 - 47

One of several FSMA Rules is the " Standards for the Growing,
Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human
Consumption, " commonly referred to as the Produce Safety Rule
or PSR. The PSR outlines standards that minimize the possibility
of consumers becoming ill from eating fresh fruits and vegetables
contaminated with pathogens and is based on the GAPs described
above. The PSR focuses on microbial hazards, such as bacterial,
viral, and parasitic human pathogens. Key areas of the regulation
include water quality; biological soil amendments; sprout production;
domesticated and wild animals; worker health and hygiene;
and equipment, tools, and buildings. The PSR went into effect 26
Jan 2016 and allows some farms to qualify for an exemption from
some of the requirements. More information can be found on the
FDA website (in link below). Note that the compliance date for the
water related standards is delayed until 2022 while FDA considers
simplifying these standards.
FDA FINAL RULE ON PRODUCE SAFETY
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/
fsma-final-rule-produce-safety
One important aspect of the PSR is that it establishes training
requirements. The PSR requires that at least one supervisor or responsible
party for farms covered by the PSR complete food safety
training. The Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course is
one way to meet this requirement. Produce Safety Alliance Grower
trainings provide an overview of GAPs and the standards set in the
PSR that growers must follow. For a list of Produce Safety Alliance
trainings visit:
PRODUCE SAFETY ALLIANCE TRAININGS
https://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/training/growertraining-courses/upcoming-grower-trainings/
Throughout
the southern region, state departments of agriculture
are conducting inspections on FDA's behalf. Most states are
also offering a free and voluntary educational visit called an On
Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) for farms to assess their readiness
for a PSR inspection. State contacts to schedule an OFRR can be
found on the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
website.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE
DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE
https://www.nasda.org/foundation/food-safety-cooperativeagreements/on-farm-readiness-review
FOOD
SAFETY AUDITS VERSUS PSR
INSPECTIONS
Food safety audits for produce growers and packers have been
around since the 1990's as an industry response to several produce
related foodborne illness outbreaks. By comparison, PSR inspections
are a relatively new concept with inspections beginning the
summer of 2019. Although the practices required for audits and
2021 Vegetable Crop Handbook for Southeastern United States
inspections are both based on general GAPs, the specific practices
required and the scope can differ. There are also some notable general
differences between the two:
* An audit is a way to voluntarily provide assurance to a buyer
that produce is grown safely while a PSR inspection is
required by law for farms covered by the PSR.
* Typically, an audit is conducted by an independent third party
(e.g. USDA-AMS, quality Certification Services (QCS),
and PrimusLabs) or a produce buyer, while inspections in
the southeast are conducted by state departments of agriculture.
*
Audits tend to be expensive while there is no charge for a
PSR inspection.
* A food safety plan is required by audits. While a food safety
plan is not required by the PSR, a plan can be helpful in developing
a farm food safety program that will meet the PSR
requirements.
POSTHARVEST HANDLING
Maintaining Quality through Temperature Management
Once harvested, a vegetable continues life processes independent
of the plant, and as a result, must utilize its own stored energy reserves.
Within hours of harvest, crops held at ambient temperatures
can suffer irreversible losses in quality, reducing postharvest life.
Additionally, many vegetables, such as greens and lettuce, are cut
at harvest, and this wound further increases stress on the tissue. The
relative perishability of a crop is reflected in its respiration rate. Respiration
is the process of life by which O2
is combined with stored
carbohydrates and other components to produce heat, chemical energy,
water, CO2
, and other products. The respiration rate varies by
commodity; those commodities with high respiration rates utilize the
reserves faster and are more perishable than those with lower respiration
rates. Therefore, vegetables with higher respiration rates, such
as broccoli and sweet corn, must be rapidly cooled to the optimal
storage temperature to slow metabolism and extend postharvest life
during subsequent shipping and handling operations.
Since the introduction of hydrocooling for celery in the 1920s,
rapid cooling (precooling) has allowed produce to be shipped to
distant markets while maintaining high quality. Commercial cooling
is defined as the rapid removal of field heat to temperatures
approaching optimal storage temperature and it is the first line of
defense in retarding the biological processes that reduce vegetable
quality. Cooling, in conjunction with refrigeration during subsequent
handling operations, provides a " cold chain " from packinghouse to
supermarket to maximize postharvest life and control diseases and
pests. (The term " postharvest life " is purposely used in this text,
since " shelf life " has the connotation that the commodity " sits on
the shelf " , implying that the product requires no subsequent refrigeration.)
Timeliness during handling is also essential in maintaining
produce quality: timely and careful harvest and transport to the
packinghouse, rapid packing and cooling, and rapid transport to the
market or buyer. Everyone involved at each of the many steps during
product handling (e.g., shippers, truckers, receivers) must take care
to ensure that the refrigerated cold chain is not broken.
Many shippers are well equipped to rapidly cool their crops,
and a growing number are incorporating cooling or improving
47

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/ https://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/training/grower https://www.nasda.org/foundation/food-safety-cooperative

Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook - 2021

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