March/April 2024 - 14

FOOD HANDLING
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
Worker training crucial to food handling safety
By Dean Peterson
Contributing Writer
T
raining workers to properly handle covered
crops (fruits and vegetables typically
consumed raw) is a crucial initial step in
ensuing compliance with the Food Safety
Modernization Act, from the field to the postharvest
processing facility.
" Workers are your first line of defense, " said
Micah Hutchison, produce safety technician with
Michigan's produce safety technician program,
who is based at the Genesee Conservation District
in Flint.
Growers should invest time to explain to workers
why food safety tasks are required.
" Washing your hands before you handle produce
seems like common sense, but it's not common sense
if you don't know why you have to do it, " said Elena
Rogers, North Carolina State University area
specialized agent in fresh produce food safety.
Training should be relevant to workers' jobs and
daily tasks.
" If they're only harvesting, workers may not need
to know what's going on in the packing shed, "
Hutchison said.
Food safety practices should be written,
implemented company-wide and documented.
Everyone who works on the farm should
understand them. Owners, managers and
supervisors should set good examples by following
the practices.
" It's really about creating a culture of food safety, "
Hutchison said.
Finding time for training, especially during
harvest, is a common challenge, as are language
barriers. Training videos offer visual learning
opportunities, and training should be varied to keep
it relevant and interesting, Hutchison said.
Posters with pictures and signs can reinforce food
safety training and should be placed where they'll
be most effective.
" Written reminders are important, but they must
be reinforced, " Rogers said. " Otherwise, the workers
think they are decorations. "
Rewards can work better to reinforce good
behaviors than corrective action, Hutchison said, and
training reviews should be conducted throughout the
season or when a problem arises.
Visitors present a challenge for food safety. " What
are the expectations? " Rogers said. " Where can they
go and where can't they go? "
Key messages can be communicated through
signage or maybe a short video, with the simplest plan
being to escort the visitors, Hutchinson said.
HAND WASHING 101
Wet hands with water, apply soap, lather and
rub hands together for at least 20 seconds;
lathering and scrubbing create friction which
rubs off dirt and pathogens.
Wash front and back of hands as well as
between fingers.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry with
a clean paper towel; dirty water and cloth towels
used by someone else are likely contaminated.
Turn off the faucet with the used paper towel;
pathogens could be on the faucet.
Throw the paper towel in the trash can so it
won't become a source of contamination for
someone else to pick up.
14 MARCH/APR I L 2024
March/April 2024

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