PRODUCE SPOTLIGHT:

Blueberries

Patrick Gordon, Produce Safety Technician

Blueberries are a major crop in Michigan and are popular throughout the United States. They are consumed fresh, frozen, or in processed food products. Because they are usually eaten raw, any contamination that occurs before, during or after harvest can affect the product consumers purchase. Although blueberries have caused relatively few foodborne outbreaks compared with other produce commodities, several outbreaks in the recent past show that they are not immune to contamination. As with other produce, proper handling during growing, harvesting, and packing is essential.

Blueberry Specific Worker Training Video

Alison Work, Digital Media Designer

You already understand the basics of food safety, like how to wash your hands or report to your supervisor if you're sick or injured. This video builds on what you already know and deals with matters that are specific to blueberries. WHY are these rules important, and what can you do to minimize the risk of contamination?

Watch the Video Here

The Science Linking the Relationship Between Crop Characteristics and Pathogen Survival

Allissa Conley, Produce Safety Technician

One requirement of the Pre-Harvest Agriculture Water Assessment is that farmers are required to identify crop characteristics of the covered commodities that they grow in order to help determine how prone they are to things like surface adhesion or internalization of hazards. This article provides a list of science-based research articles to help farmers take a deeper dive into those crop characteristics and how they interact with possible contaminants.

Understanding Kill Steps in Produce Safety

Patrick Gordon, Produce Safety Technician

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

Kill steps include high‑heat treatments (cooking, canning, pasteurization, distillation) and other processes that destroy pathogens to safe levels.

Free and easy supplemental training for farms

Supplement your worker training with produce safety text messages! Sign up for free to receive produce safety reminder texts once a week, in either English or Spanish. Supervisors may also opt in to receive a quarterly worker training recordkeeping report.

To sign up, text "Training" or "Capacitar" to (888)-531-2157.

Learn More

Interested in more? Here are some additional resources!

What else can you do to prepare for next season?

Complying with the Pre-Harvest Water Rule Short Course (With Certificate) →

This online course is specifically designed to help you understand the new FSMA Produce Safety Pre-harvest Water Rule Requirements - including how to conduct an Agricultural Water Assessment.

On-Farm Produce Safety Resource Library →

The Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety Team website has a variety of produce safety resources.