Food Safety Bites is a series of short podcasts covering practical food safety practices for farmers and farmworkers. We encourage you to review the entire series for full understanding of these complex issues.
This series was developed by a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Organic Program and funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (award 2017-70020-27239)
| podcast | description | length | written transcript |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction to Food Safety Bites | Join us in learning about on-farm food safety through this 34-episode Food Safety Bites podcast series. | 7:24 | Episode 1 transcript |
| 2. Why food safety matters | Simple practices in the field can ensure your customers receive safe food | 7:08 | Episode 2 transcript |
| 3. Understanding microorganisms that affect food safety | Bacteria and other microorganisms cause food safety problems, understanding how they function helps create solutions. | 10:23 | Episode 3 transcript |
| 4. Worker hygiene | Understand how workers can be a source of food contamination | 8:29 | Episode 4 transcript |
| 5. Handwashing | Farm worker hands easily transfer bacteria, effective hand washing is a simple solution | 8:15 | Episode 5 transcript |
| 6. Handwash stations | A few simple requirements lead to an effective hand washing station | 9:09 | Episode 6 transcript |
| 7. Illness, injury and bodily fluids | Understand and be prepared to deal with employee health related situations | 6:31 | Episode 7 transcript |
| 8. Training supervisors and workers | Proper training of farm managers and workers is critical in managing contamination risks | 8:57 | Episode 8 transcript |
| 9. Visitors to the farm | Visitors present another potential source of contamination on your farm | 9:59 | Episode 9 transcript |
| 10. Corrective actions | Planning for simple procedures to correct potential contamination when prevention fails | 7:32 | Episode 10 transcript |
| 11. Manure and other fertility inputs | Manure and other inputs can be a source of problems and must be managed carefully | 10.46 | Episode 11 transcript |
| 12. Wildlife and produce safety | Wildlife of all kinds invariably visit your farm fields. Monitoring and corrective measures can secure your farm product's safety. | 11:13 | Episode 12 transcript |
| 13. Domestic animals | Pets and livestock can be managed to lessen risk to produce | 10:39 | Episode 13 transcript |
| 14. Working animals | Animals used in food production must be carefully manged to prevent contamination | 7:41 | Episode 14 transcript |
| 15. Conservation and produce safety | There is value in providing diverse habitat on farm edges to help with produce safety | 7:27 | Episode 15 transcript |
| 16. Pre-harvest and harvest protocols | Proper planning and preparation for harvest sets you up for food safety success | 9:53 | Episode 16 transcript |
| 17. Tools, transport and storage | Cleaning tools, storage and transport bins and equipment is a critical element of reducing food safety risk. | 10:12 | Episode 17 transcript |
| 18. What are the risks with agricultural production water? | Water used to produce food must be tested and used wisely | 9:16 | Episode 18 transcript |
| 19. Managing risk for ag production water | Follow these tips to avoid potential problems with water used to produce the food you grow. | 8:44 | Episode 19 transcript |
| 20. What are the risks for post-harvest handling water? | Water used after harvest for cleaning can be a potential risk for contamination | 9:05 | Episode 20 transcript |
| 21. Managing post-harvest handling water | Techniques for managing water used on harvested foods | 8:13 | Episode 21 transcript |
| 22. Water testing | Water used for different purposes requires different testing, each test provides valuable information | 12:34 | Episode 22 transcript |
| 23. Understanding how pathogens infiltrate into produce | Learn how to avoid pathogens and water infiltrating into your produce | 10:16 | Episode 23 transcript |
| 24. Managing ice | Ice is made from water, and ice machines are notorious for harboring bacteria. Potential contaminants present food safety risks. | 7:59 | Episode 24 transcript |
| 25. Cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting | Cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting are three distinct procedures that reduce pathogen contamination in different ways. | 8:58 | Episode 25 transcript |
| 26. Pack shed zones, cleaning and sanitizing equipment | Keeping dirty and clean zones and controlling activity in the pack shed helps reduce contamination risk. | 9:03 | Episode 26 transcript |
| 27. Biofilms | Biofilms are difficult to remove. Understanding how to prevent their buildup is important wherever water or produce is present. | 9:38 | Episode 27 transcript |
| 28. Pack shed construction and layout | How to setup and maintain an effective and efficient pack shed with food safety in mind. | 11:04 | Episode 28 transcript |
| 29. Recordkeeping | Monitor food safety activities to improve your operation and meet regulatory requirements | 12:13 | Episode 29 transcript |
| 30. Dealing with high risk situations | Accidents and natural disasters can create hazardous situations, learn troubleshooting and best practices. | 11:06 | Episode 30 transcript |
| 31. Regulatory and market requirements for FSMA, GAP, etc. | You may be required to or have the option of complying with different food safety certifications. We will not elaborate on their rules, but will point you to resources. | 13:56 | Episode 31 transcript |
| 32. COVID 19 and enhanced produce safety activities | COVID 19 adds a layer of complication to the farm food safety equation | 12:29 | Episode 32 transcript |
| 33. Legal and economic ramifications of food borne illnesses | Finding yourself responsible for a food safety problem will likely create legal and potentially economic troubles. We help you understand the issues. | 12:26 | Episode 33 transcript |
| 34. Final summary and thank-yous | Learning about food safety issues and best practices can help avoid problems in dynamic farm environments. Thank you to the many individuals who assisted in this project. | 8:54 | Episode 34 transcript |
Food Safety Resources
Federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)
FDA decision tree– FSMA Facts: Does this rule apply to you?
Produce Safety Alliance, housed at Cornell University
Information on meeting the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act
Records needed for FSMA produce safety rule (Produce Safety Alliance)
Video explaining exemptions and exclusions for small farms under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (University of MN Extension)
Information on GAP (Good Agricultural Practices)
Food Safety Legal issues
Online legal resource on food safety for farmers and food producers with an interactive map showing laws for each state (Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems and University of Vermont Extension’s Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety)
Water-related articles
Water Analysis Method Requirement in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (Produce Safety Alliance)
On-line tool to determine the relationship of overhead irrigation water with levels of contamination (Produce Safety Alliance)
Microbial die-off rates of contaminated irrigation water (Michigan State University)
Project Credits
Harriet Behar wrote and recorded the podcast series. Harriet has dozens of years of experience visiting hundreds of farms as an organic inspector, and is a certified Produce Safety Alliance food safety trainer.
Annalisa Hultberg, Statewide Educator in Food Safety at the University of Minnesota, reviewed and advised on the project.
Jody Padgham, Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, provided technical support for the project.
Dr. Erin Silva, Associate Professor, Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison managed the project.
Ann Christoffer created and performed the background music for the series. Ann is a musician, singer and songwriter from the Driftless Region of Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin.