Helping growers implement food safety practices is one important goal of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
The department leverages agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration funding to promote farm food safety principles and good agricultural practices through the implementation of focused education and outreach programs, said Christian Kleinguenther, chief of the Bureau of Inspection and Enforcement for the NJDA.
“The NJDA coordinates with Rutgers University Cooperative Extension to present Produce Safety Alliance grower training required by the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, as well as Good Agricultural Practices farm food safety training courses,” Kleinguenther said.
In addition, the two agencies also cooperate to provide on-farm readiness reviews to help growers evaluate their farm’s alignment with the produce safety rule requirements, he said.
“Our representatives — inspectors from the NJDA and Cooperative Extension agents — conduct joint visits to New Jersey farms providing a wealth of knowledge, experience and resources to assist growers in the application of food safety principles and implementation of their individual food safety programs,” Kleinguenther said, noting that the visits and consultations are a free and confidential service.
He said that each farm that is subject to regulation under the produce safety rule receives an initial educational inspection that addresses all applicable sections of the rule. This is similar to the on-farm readiness review visit but is directed toward the application of the specific requirements of the rule, he said.
“The educational inspection is conducted to provide guidance to growers before they are subject to a regulatory inspection,” Kleinguenther said. “ NJDA inspectors have training and experience in farm industry standards and food safety and follow the principle of ‘educate while we regulate.’ We have received positive feedback for our approach and support for our growers.”
