Handling COVID-19: Produce Farms and Packinghouses

The virus that causes COVID-19

While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is a food safety concern, it is a worker health concern because it spreads via close person-to-person contact or by contact with contaminated surfaces. Food does not appear to be a likely cause of COVID-19 transmission, but many of the same practices used to prevent foodborne illness on foods should still be used to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 contamination on fresh produce and the risk of COVID-19 spread among farm and packinghouse workers. This material is adapted from the version published at https://foodsafety.ces.ncsu.edu/covid-19-resources/. Written by Laurel Dunn and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department; 2 pages.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs366

Food Safety on the Farm: Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices-Packing Operation Sanitation

freshpicked oranges in foreground of packing facility

The ‘Food Safety on the Farm’ series is a collection that reviews the generally recognized principles of GAPs (good agricultural practices) as they relate to produce, primarily at the farm level and with a particular focus on fresh Florida crops and practices. This publication focuses on GAPs and GHPs (good handling practices) relating specifically to packing operation sanitation. Written by Jessica A. Lepper, Aswathy Sreedharan, Renee M. Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, December 2017.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs189