Food Safety for the Pennsylvania Apple
Products Industries
Luke LaBorde
- Assistant Professor
Department of Food Science
lfl5@psu.edu
 |
| Orchard fresh Pennsylvania apples ready for packing |
Several highly publicized outbreaks involving E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium in unpasteurized juices have caused wholesale customers and regulatory agencies to tighten controls on the sale of unpasteurized juice products.
Despite the fact that there have been no outbreaks associated with fresh market apples or cider in Pennsylvania, food safety incidents like these have affected the entire apple industry.
The federal government now requires all juice processors to develop HACCP food safety plans that combine anticipation of hazards with extensive self-inspections and documentation. Cider makers who sell all of their product at their own farm stands or farmers market booth are exempt from the federal ruling. However, in Pennsylvania, they are required by the Food Employee Certification Act to attend an approved food safety course.
Learn more about regulations and food safety issues below.
Juice HACCP information
- Juice HACCP, Food and Drug Administration Informational Website
- Draft Guidance for Industry: Juice HACCP Hazards and Controls Guidance - First Edition September 12, 2002
- Questions and Answers about Juice HACCP FDA web site
- Who is Exempt from the Juice HACCP ruling?
- Concentrating on Juice HACCP - One man's interpretation of juice HACCP, Ken Bookmeyer, Food Quality Magazine, July-August 2002
- Juice HACCP workshop August 4-5 follow-up web site
- August 4-5, 2003 Penn State Juice HACCP workshop - follow-up web site
Information for cider makers
- Guidelines for Producing Unpasteurized Cider in Pennsylvania Penn State University Cooperative Extension
- Fundamentals of making high-quality cider From: Chapter VII, Penn State Tree Fruit Production Guide
Pennsylvania cider regulations
- Food Employee Certification Act Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture food safety training requirements for manufacturers of potentially hazardous foods (including cider)
- Pennsylvania Food Code (for retail cider operations)
Information on safe practices for growing and packing of apples
- Food Safety and Sanitation for Pennsylvania Fruit Packers Workshop. July 10, 2002 at Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, PA. Presentations and food safety resources for apple packers.
- Food safety guidelines for the Pennsylvania apple industry in "The Pennsylvania Tree Fruit Production Guide"
- Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (also available in Spanish)
General
information on food safety and sanitation for apple growers, packers,
and cider processors
Food Safety Regulations and Government Guidance
- FDA Guide To Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards For Fresh Fruits And Vegetables - Food and Drug Administration (Spanish version)
- Fresh Produce Audit Verification Program USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food 21 CFR Part 110
- 2001 Food Code - Complete text FDA retail food processing and handling regulations
- Field Sanitation Regulations 29 CFR - 1928.110, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, U.S. Dept. of Labor
- National Primary Drinking Water Standards United States Environmental Protection Agency, Department Food Safety
- Pennsylvania
Drinking Water System Information Pennsylvania environmental laws
and regulations, drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), fact
sheets, technical bulletins.
Food Safety Guidelines and Information for Growers and Packers of Fresh Produce
Government
- FDA Guide To Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards For Fresh Fruits And Vegetables - Food and Drug Administration (also available in Spanish)
- Risk Profile on the Microbiological Contamination of Fruits and Vegetables Eaten Raw Report of the Scientific Committee on Food (adopted on the 24th of April 2002)
- Analysis and Evaluation of Preventive Control Measures for the Control and Reduction/Elimination of Microbial Hazards on Fresh and Fresh-Cut Produce. Food and Drug Administration
- FDA Guide To Traceback Of Fresh Fruits And Vegetables Implicated In Epidemiological Investigations
- "Food Safety". From: The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks. USDA ARS
- Farm
Investigation Questionnaire. A form developed by FDA for use in the
domestic survey follow-ups and outbreak tracebacks.
Universities
- Guidelines for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Small- to Medium-Scale Packing and Fresh-Cut Operations University of California - Davis
- Current Challenges in Postharvest Handling of Vegetables. Department of Vegetable Crops, UC-Davis
- Progress in Defining Microbial Risk Reduction Practices for Animal Manure and Manure-based Composts. Department of Vegetable Crops, UC-Davis
- Postharvest Chlorination Basic Properties and Key Points for Effective Disinfection University of California.- Davis
- A Practical Approach to Calculating Dose Values for Water Disinfection University of California.- Davis
- Basics of Ozone Applications for Postharvest Treatment of Vegetables University of California.- Davis
- Introduction to ORP as the Standard of Postharvest Water Disinfection Monitoring University of California.- Davis
- Produce Handling and Processing Practices Larry R. Beuchat and Jee-Hoon Ryu. University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia, USA
- Food Safety Begins on the Farm - Minimize Pathogen Contamination During Production and Harvest of Fresh Produce Cornell University
Information on General Food Production Sanitation Practices
- Sanitation Resources from "The Penn State Sanitation Shortcourse - Pre-Requisites for Food Safety"
- EPA Plumbing and Cross-Connection Control Manual
- Basic Elements of a Sanitation Program for Food Processing and Food Handling University of Florida Extension
- Basic Elements of Equipment Cleaning and Sanitizing in Food Processing and Handling Operations University of Florida Extension
- Sanitizers for Food Plants Seafood Network Information Center, U.C. Davis
- Evaluation of Risks Related to Microbiological Contamination of Ready-to-eat Food by Food Preparation Workers and the Effectiveness of Interventions to Minimize Those Risks FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 1999
- National Antimicrobial Information Network Information on EPA registered disinfectants and sanitizers - Oregon State University and US EPA
- Sanitation Control Procedures for Processing Fish and Fishery Products Manual for developing SSOPs for the seafood industry but also an excellent general model for developing a sanitation program for any commodity - Seafood Network Information Center, UC-Davis
Food Safety Programs in the Produce Industry
United States
- Fresh Produce Audit Verification Program USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- Food Safety Auditing Guidelines: Core Elements of Good Agricultural Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (for purchase)
- International Fresh-Cut Produce Association: Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh-cut Produce Industry, Fourth Edition (for purchase)
- International Fresh-Cut Produce Association: Revised HACCP Plan for Fresh-Cut Produce
- The California Strawberry Commission Quality Assurance Program (QAP)
- Scientific Certification Systems Food Safety Management Program Certification Standards
- Improving the Safety and Quality of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables: A Training Manual for Trainers. JFSAN, UMD. English and Spanish
- Guidance for Industry - Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs),Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs),and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program - California Almond Board
Canada
- Code of Practice for Minimally Processed Ready-to-Eat Vegetables Canadian Food Inspection Agency Food of Plant Origin Division
- Keeping Berries Safe: A Grower's Guide to Preventing Food-borne Illness from Berry Crops Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
- On-Farm Food Safety Guidelines for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Canadian Horticulture Council
- British Columbia Vegetable Growers Association - Growers Working For Growers. Food Safety Guidelines
- Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) Food Safety Program
- Canadian Mushroom Growers Association Food Safety Program
Europe
- Eurepgap - A Global Partnership for Safe and Sustainable Agriculture
- Code of Practice For Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Supply Chain in Ireland
Australia
Microbiology and Foodborne Illness
- FDA Bad Bug Book
- E. coli (Enteropathogenic)
- Salmonella spp.
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Shigella
Bacteria
Viruses
Parasites
Characteristics of microbial pathogens and food borne illness
For more
information, contact:
Luke
LaBorde
E-mail: lfl5@psu.edu
