Introduction Ensuring the microbial safety of fresh produce is a critical step in preventing foodborne illnesses and safeguarding public health. Fresh produce is often exposed to contaminants during various stages of production, including growing and harvesting, where it can come into contact with soil, irrigation water, compost and wildlife (Dogan et al., 2023; Rock et…Read more about Understanding the Impact of Organic Matter on Free Available Chlorine (FAC) Concentration in Postharvest Water[Read More]
Food Safety
Drying produce can be an attractive technique for adding value to your crop, reducing waste, and diversifying the products offered to consumers. The process of dehydrating produce extends shelf life by reducing water content and limiting the growth of microorganisms that can cause spoilage. Remain aware, though, that most dehydration processes are not kill steps…Read more about Ensuring Food Safety in Produce Drying: Best Practices for Handling, Preparation, and Dehydration[Read More]
Numerous educators and extension volunteers took advantage of the annual Summer School for Consumer Food Safety Education program. The 2024 speakers of the second webinar session were Carla Schwan, an Extension food safety specialist from the University of Georgia, and Melissa Rupp, an Extension educator from Ohio State University. They focused their presentation on safety…Read more about Safety Considerations of Freeze-dried Foods: Learnings From the Consumer Food Safety Education Webinar Series[Read More]
The Summer School for Consumer Food Safety Education is an annual program that conducts continual consumer food safety training for educators and extension volunteers through expert-led presentations. This program serves as a platform to convey updated research information on current trending consumer food safety topics and helps participants gain a better understanding of the food…Read more about Application of GMPs for the Cottage Food Industry: Learnings From the Consumer Food Safety Education Webinar Series[Read More]
On October 1, the Safe Produce Indiana team welcomed Katheryn Parraga as its newest team member. Katheryn will serve as a Food Safety Research and Outreach Specialist in the Department of Food Science. She will be stationed at the Purdue Extension Food Safety Training Hub in Vincennes. Katheryn received her Ph.D. and master’s degree in…Read more about Safe Produce Indiana Welcomes New Team Member[Read More]
Harvest season is easily one of the busiest and craziest times of the year. Crops are being harvested, packed, shipped, and sold against a backdrop of perishability, weather, and ever-changing markets. Harvest and postharvest handling are also critical times for food safety. Handling of the crop by workers, transporting of produce, and aggregating the crop…Read more about Food Safety Considerations for Postharvest Handling of Produce[Read More]
Intense heat and long days serve as a reminder that we are officially in the heart of Summer, where Indiana consumers rush to grocery stores and farmers markets to purchase fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. As produce farms strive to meet this demand, it is important that growers consider food safety and follow good agricultural…Read more about Food Safety Considerations for Vegetable Farms[Read More]
If you grow fruits and vegetables for sale, you should consider attending the Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training on Tuesday, March 19. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Elkhart County Community Center on the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, 17746 County Road 34, Goshen, Indiana. For growers across the state,…Read more about Food Safety for Produce Growers[Read More]
Home-based vendors (HBV) in Indiana must follow certain regulations to sell food products made in a non-inspected space, like a home kitchen. HBV regulations require vendors to obtain a food handler certificate and restrict where HBVs may sell their products. Until recently, whole, uncut produce was subject to HBV regulations and requirements. As of July…Read more about Recent Changes in Home-Based Vendors Regulations[Read More]
Dr. Betty Feng’s lab within the Department of Food Science at Purdue University is hosting a series of webinars this March and April. The webinars are free to anyone who wishes to participate and will cover various topics, including on-farm food safety and agriculture soil management. Food Safety Plan (accumulative series of webinars) March 21…Read more about Webinar Series – Scaling up Your Small and Medium-sized Farm[Read More]