2/1/2011
Robert C. Williams, Ph.D., a food safety and technology expert at Virginia Tech University, will provide a daylong session on good handling practices and good agricultural practices (GHP-GAP) at the West Virginia Small Farm Conference Thursday, February 17, at Lakeview Resort outside Morgantown.
The training will help produce growers, farmers’ market personnel and further processors meet the production safety, traceability and recordkeeping recommendations that have become common in the marketplace due to consumer demand. Several of these practices are slated for implementation in the future as a part of the comprehensive federal food safety act recently enacted into law.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not require plans from small producers, but retailer and consumer demand may result in a price premium for GHP-GAP-certified products.
“This session is the first step for producers on their way to GHP-GAP certification,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “One of our main priorities for Specialty Crop Block Grant money this year is to provide GHP-GAP training as widely as possible and to have some producers complete the audit process.”
Cost-share dollars are being secured for audits, but only for producers who have undergone approved GHP-GAP training, stressed Jean Smith, Director of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s (WVDA) Marketing and Development Division.
“This course is approved and will include a wide variety of take-home materials. This will also be an opportunity to talk with Dr. Williams, a nationally recognized expert in the field, along with federal and state program managers,” said Smith.
Topics to be covered include microorganisms of concern, managing manure, compost and agricultural water, worker hygiene, hazard identification, current requirements, details on the audit program, an audit checklist and a grower self-assessment tool.
Dr. Williams is an associate professor and extension food microbiologist in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech. His primary extension mission is providing food safety education for the food industry in Virginia. He gives several lectures each year and conducts workshops focused on improving the microbiological safety and quality of fresh produce and beverages, primarily fruit juices.
He earned M.S. (1998) and Ph.D. (2001) degrees in food science and technology from the University of Tennessee, and a B.S. (1994) degree in biology, with an emphasis in clinical microbiology, from Tennessee Technological University. His graduate studies focused on the food safety implications of modified atmosphere packaging, the use of ozone for pathogen reduction in fresh fruit juices, and the detection of sublethally-injured bacterial pathogens.
The Small Farm Conference is sponsored by the West Virginia University Extension Service. Registration and program information can be found at
http://smallfarmcenter.ext.wvu.edu/conference/schedule.
Contact Information
Gus R. Douglass
douglass@ag.state.wv.us