March 2020 - 20

Use care in purchasing used produce processing units
By Phillip Tocco
Michigan State University
On-farm produce safety can be
undermined with the wrong postharvest
equipment. Consider these food safety
concerns when buying equipment and
come to an upcoming workshop on
hygienic equipment design.
Purchasing equipment for a fruit or
vegetable packhouse can be a daunting
task. Usually, the last thing on most
farmers' minds when buying equipment
is food safety. It's a good idea to keep a
few questions in mind when shopping to
help avoid a food safety disaster.
What was its prior use?
Prior uses of equipment can
introduce risk because residue may be
left in the equipment. In general, avoid
equipment that was previously used for
non-food purposes, especially if parts
will be direct food contact surfaces.
Equipment that was previously used for
produce that was destined for further
processing will need special attention
before it is used for raw produce
destined for fresh consumption. A
complete cleaning and sanitizing as well
as a thorough inspection is warranted
before using it for the first time. Also,
consider whether the prior use required
a design that enabled the cleaning and
sanitization that you need to do.
brand new or perfect. By having an eye
to food safety as described above when
shopping for or replacing equipment, the
new-to-you equipment can be better than
what you had.
Handling and hygiene
workshop
If you'd like to learn more about
A pepper conveyer belt. Photo: USDA
What is it made of?
Food contact surfaces need to be
cleaned and sanitized. In general,
smooth, non-permeable surfaces like
plastics and stainless steels are more
suitable than wood. In some cases,
postharvest equipment like barrel
washers can be retrofitted with smooth
and cleanable parts to make them more
sanitary than they were when those
same parts are wood.
Can you take it apart?
In an ideal world, all equipment
should be easy to disassemble for
cleaning, inspection and maintenance.
In most cases, the ideal equipment
does not exist or is too expensive to be
practical for many farms. If it isn't easy
to take apart, take pains that cleaning is
adequately accomplished despite this.
This may require a toolbox close at hand
to be able to take the equipment apart,
as well as providing 360-degree access to
the equipment.
One way access is ensured in many
produce grading facilities is by elevating
the equipment and providing access
above and below the equipment. Training
and standard operating procedures for
deep cleaning should be considered
to help improve the efficiency of this
important practice. These can be written
or pictorial.
Equipment used in fruit and vegetable
grading and sorting doesn't need to be
hygienic design of equipment and
cleaning and sanitizing postharvest
equipment, Michigan State University
Extension is offering a workshop
on Postharvest Handling and Hygiene
for Small and Medium Sized Growers.
The half-day workshop will
help build your understanding of
postharvest hygiene and how to buy
more hygienic equipment and fabricate
safer equipment. The workshop will
be held from 1-4 p.m. on March 18, in
Marquette, Michigan. Learn more about
the event and register online.
If you have specific questions about
harvest or postharvest equipment, or
have difficulty tailoring GAPs to your
farm, contact the Agrifood Safety
Work Group at gaps@msu.edu or 517788-4292.
For
more information on principles
of hygienic design, check out " Hygienic
Design for Produce Farms " from the
University of Vermont Extension or
attend the Postharvest Handling and
Hygiene workshop. VGN
Same field.
More yield.
For healthier soil and better
quality crops
Use Polysulphate®
fertilizer to
supply plant-available sulfur,
potassium, magnesium and
calcium in a single application.
Polysulphate's prolonged
availability of nutrients reduces
the risk of leaching and gradually
releases the key nutrients to the
growing crop, improving yield,
quality and profits.
S 19.2% S
K 14% K2O Mg 3.6% Mg Ca 12.2% Ca
More information at
www.polysulphate.com/introducing-polysulphate
18 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
Approved
for use in
organic
farming
http://www.polysulphate.com/introducing-polysulphate http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
