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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-04-01, Page 7Bruce and Huron vendors take initiative to learn about Food Safety OMAFRA Workshop organized by Bruce Huron Produce Auction Valerie Gillies Lucknow Sentinel The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Minis- try of Rural Affairs (OMA - FRA) regularly schedules and presents workshops to educate those whom are involved in the various aspects of providing food and products which fall under their mandate. A Good Agricultural Practices workshop was held at the Lucknow Sports Complex on March 17, 2015 to educate area producers in the topics covered in the program on Assessing and Managing Food Safety Risks in Produce Production and Packing. Paul Bailey, Risk Manage- ment Identification & Man- agement Coordinator of the Foods of Plant Origin Food Inspection Branch, com- mends the vendors and suppliers at the Bruce Huron Produce Auction for taking the initiative to reach out to OMAFRA to request that a local workshop come to the area to give them the opportunity to learn more about food safety. Bailey states, "This is a very posi- tive step in taking responsi- bility for providing the best and safest food possible to those who purchase goods at the Bruce Huron Produce Auction and the farm gate vendors in the area." There had originally been five workshops on these top- ics arranged throughout Ontario, but there were none scheduled for Huron -Kin- loss, Kincardine and sur- rounding areas. Elmer Bru- bacher, one of the founders of the Bruce Huron Produce Auction which has many Mennonite vendors, con- tacted OMAFRA to request a local workshop be added to the schedule. When Bru- bacher received confirma- tion that OMAFRA would provide the presenters and resources needed, there was only one week in which to organize and promote the workshop. Flyers were dis- tributed at the Auction, as well as many more being delivered throughout the area to those who may ben- efit from the training. Peter van Weerden, OMA - FRA Risk Management Spe- cialist, was the second pre- senter at the workshop and is very familiar with produce auctions. He was involved in the creation of the Bruce Huron Produce Auction. As field staff for OMAFRA, van Weerden was also called in several years ago when the Elmira Produce Auction asked the Ministry to speak with their board of directors and provide them with infor- mation on organization, use of containers and grading of produce. At that time there were provincial standards, but those guidelines have since been revoked. Produc- ers and operators must now comply with the Canada Agricultural Products Act (CAP Act). Van Weerden explains, "There has been orderly marketing practices for over 100 years, originating when apples were first being exported to England." Over the last 20 years there has been a big movement to improve and ensure food safety. This is especially true for produce as it is a sector in which there is a lot of handling from farm to con- sumer and much of the pro- duce is eaten raw. The CAP Act recognizes that there are steps that can be taken to avoid problems throughout that chain. The Good Agricultural Practices workshop is based on Ontario Regulation 119/11, the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. The area of produce covered is extended to include honey and maple products. Topics covered in the workshop include: worker health, hygiene and training; soil amendments; land use, wildlife and domestic animals; produc- tion water; postharvest water; postharvest handling and sanitation. The steps to ensure safe food and pro- duce must include monitor- ing practices, accurate record keeping and knowl- edge of how to fix problems if things go wrong. Wednesday, April 1, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 7 Valerie Gillies/Lucknow Sentinel Many who took part in OMAFRA's Good Agricultural Practices workshop are vendors at the Bruce Huron Produce Auction. It was noted that representatives of the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens, as well as farm gate vendors, also participated on March 17, 2015. As stated in the workshop binder, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) include "any operational procedure or activity that prevents or reduces microbial risks to fruits or vegetables in fields or in the packing area." In order to ensure that GAPs are appropriate, a written document was created for Standard Operating Proce- dures (SOPs). Bailey began the work- shop by explaining how important it is for GAPs and SOPs to be implemented and followed. If someone has a problem or becomes ill due to consuming produce, which in the current mar- kets also cover any edible farm product such as meats, dairy, eggs and baking, it is OMAFRA's field inspectors that are called in to investi- gate. Should it be discovered that there was something not done properly and Paul Bailey was the first of two OMAFRA presenters at the Good Agricultural Practices workshop on Food Safety held at the Lucknow Sports Complex on March 17, 2015. according to SOPs the pro- ducer would receive notice to comply. Bailey asserted that the worst thing that happens is that if this type of problem is identified, often Let's Focus on Safe Food this April Huron County Health Unit Submitted This April includes both Easter celebrations and World Health Day awareness around food safety. The Huron County Health Unit encourages residents to focus on safe food handling practices as they prepare holiday Easter meals. "This Easter, remember your four steps to food safety," says Public Health Inspector Jessica Van Geffen. "Clean your hands, cook your foods to a safe internal temperature, keep ready -to - eat food separate from raw meats and keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Cook a hazardous food such as a whole turkey or chicken to the correct internal tempera- ture of 82° C (180° F)" Common safe food han- dling practices include: washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food; cleaning cut- ting boards, utensils, and countertops with warm water and dish soap, rinsing and sanitizing; separating raw meat, poultry and sea- food from other foods in your grocery bags and in your refrigerator; keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from food items that won't be cooked; cooking food to a safe internal temperature; using a probe food ther- mometer to test whether food is thoroughly cooked; chilling leftovers and takeout foods within two hours; keeping the fridge at 4°C (40°F) or below. World Health Day, April 7, is a worldwide awareness day created by the World Health Organization. The theme of this year's World Health Day is "How Safe Is Your Food?" To celebrate this year's World Health Day, and to celebrate the safe food handling practices of Huron County residents, the Health Unit is running a food safety photo contest for the month of April. To enter, contestants must it spells the end of that pro- ducer's career as a farmer and consumers and whole- salers no longer trust the products from that source. It is the importance of knowing and having the resources to comply with the various Acts and procedures that prompted Bruce Huron Produce Auction to pursue the learning opportunity provided by the OMAFRA workshops. This is a very important step in ensuring that produce purchased in the local area is the best and safest available. Van Weerden states, "This initia- tive is something that resi- dents and businesses in the area should appreciate as it is a very positive step in the marketing of the excellence of our own producers and the products they make available not only for our own use, but for those who travel here to shop." submit a photo of them- selves using one or more safe food handling practices (clean, separate, cook, chill). Photos can be entered by visiting the Huron County Health Unit Facebook page or by using the hashtag #FoodSafetySelfie on Twitter or Instagram. More information on food safety can be found on the Health Unit website, www. huronhealthunit.ca.