NC Produce

1
NC Produce the NC Fresh Produce Safety Task
Force

• Debbie Hamrick
• North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation

2
North Carolina Fruit and Vegetable Production is
Diverse

• Large conventional--Snap beans Watermelon
  Blueberry Tomato Pepper The worlds best chip
  potatoes
• Small/local suppliers
• Organic Large scale butternut squash, sweet
  potatoes, blueberries, cabbage
• Organic/sustainable Local supply

3
(No Transcript)
4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
About 475 million of fruit/vegetable production
within a few hours of gt50 of US population
7
NC growers concerned about

• Vagaries of epidemiology
• Seeing market crushed
• It was our turn for tomatoes, prices plunged
  35-40 overnight

8
NC growers concerned about

• Kill step in the process acceptable to consumers
• Legal action against them
• MarlerClark, 300 million in food safety
  settlements.
• Market reflecting the additional cost of
  implementing GAPs

9
Growers have very important questions about

• Trucks

10
Growers have very important questions about

• Setback from animal production

11
Growers have very important questions about

• Water

12
NC Fresh Produce SafetyTask Force

• Impetus E. coli O157H7 in spinach
• Subcommittee of the governors NC Food Safety
  Defense Task Force
• NCSU, NCAT, NCDACS, FDA, NCFB
• Producers and industry groups now being brought
  aboard as members
• All about cooperation. Bring in expertise from
  out of state and share w/other SE states (FL, GA,
  SC, TN)
• Member National GAPs Collaborators, Cornell Univ.
• Vision NC has a competitive, vibrant and safe
  fresh produce industry.

13
NCFPSTF Education Group

• Focus GAP implementation at farm/packing level
• Utilize Cooperative Extension infrastructure
• Reach out to Limited Resources farmers
• On-farm Food Safety Plan template
• Website of resources
• Funding for efforts from SARE, NC Tobacco Trust
  Fund
• Applying for SE Regional Food Safety and other
  grants to address needs Field hand washing
  stations
• Small farm educational programs

14
NCFPSTF Industry Group

• Develop Interagency Fresh Produce Emergency
  Response Teams Training Program
• Develop response procedure for outbreak in
  NC/response for outbreak outside NC
• Task Force members participating in Recall
  Effectiveness Training by NC Food Safety and
  Defense Task Force
• Conducted Tabletop exercise _at_SE Region AFDOS to
  coordinate interagency cooperation during an
  event
• NCDACS applying for grant to fund study of
  traceback systems used among NC producers

15
NCFPSTF Policy Group

• Keep Task Force informed of state and national
  efforts AFDOS Draft Model GAPs, USDA Leafy
  Greens Marketing Agreement efforts, Review bills
  such as FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,
  co-sponsored by Sen. Burr
• Presented to NC Legislatures Agriculture
  Forestry Awareness Study Commission
• Coordinate grower, association and handler
  participation in Task Force

16
NCFPSTF Research Group

• Field research in 2008 using chlorine tablets
  (Calcium hypochlorite Ca(ClO)2) for irrigation
  water.
• ENC Romaine lettuce WNC tomatoes
• Early results do show activity on reducing
  coliform levels in irrigation water and on
  produce
• Industry/Public institution cooperation NCSU, NC
  Tomato Growers, PPG
• Applying for Specialty Crops Res. Initiative
  funding to look at pathogen uptake by tomato roots

17
NCFPSTF Communications

• Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak
• Developed media advisory
• Talking points specific for NC produce to arm
  Cooperative Extension Agents who were called by
  local press
• Developed Coop. Extension Fact Sheets
• Tomatoes, Salmonella
• Conference call with producers
• NCDACS issued press releases assuring that NC
  tomatoes are safe and that NC peppers are safe

18

• North Carolina can play a vital role in feeding
  Americans with healthy, nutritious fruits and
  vegetables.
• North Carolina fruit and vegetable producers
  provide taxes for the county, watersheds and open
  space for communities and nutritious food to keep
  us healthy.
• North Carolina is being proactive in Produce
  Safety through the NC Fresh Produce Safety Task
  Force.