Hitting the Mark for Food Safety and Organic Production in Postharvest

Water disinfection and sanitation of equipment and food contact surfaces should be incorporated into every postharvest handling program, regardless of farm size or production method. Yet, growers often express confusion between the standards outlined in the National Organic Program (NOP) and the food safety standards defined in the Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) or the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule. In addition to choosing a sanitizer that will be effective, organic growers must also ensure that the sanitizer they adopt is allowable and they must be aware of the specific application parameters of that sanitizer in organic systems. In this session, we will discuss how growers can be compliant with NOP Standards while also having a sound and robust food safety program for their farm.