Focus on Food Safety
FamilyFarmed.org offers Wholesale Success Workshops
On June 3, FamilyFarmed.org, in partnership with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and the Wallace Center National Good Food Network/Sysco Corporation Partnership, gathered over 20 Illinois farmers to discuss best practices in farm food safety.The workshop was hosted by Sysco Central IL.
Warren King of Wellspring Management presented an overview of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP). He explained the voluntary auditing process by which farmers develop and implement on farm food safety plans and have these plans certified by the USDA or a 3rd party certifying agency.
 Warren told the group "One, two, three seasons from now, it's going to be harder and harder to sell your product without a farm food safety plan." This plan is essentially a "roadmap" for actively reducing food safety risks on your farm. Warren continued, "a Food Safety Plan & Farm Certification tells the market that you are ready to do business."
Sysco Central IL hosted the workshop as they are committed to sourcing more and more products locally. Their new BuyLocal online marketplace is an opportunity for food service operators to purchase local product from local farmers and artisans.
Regarding food safety, Sysco Central IL President/CEO Robbie Robert says "It is paramount that local farmers endorse the GAP process to help us ensure the products coming from their farms are safe and wholesome for our customers."
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