The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has implemented a number of programs and created working groups designed to ensure that New Jersey remains at the forefront of food safety, said Joe Atchison III, marketing and development division director.
These efforts include:
- A produce safety task force composed of government, academic and procedure-sector representatives to ensure that the risk of produce-related foodborne illnesses is minimized;
- A New Jersey state produce recall team contact list in the case of a foodborne-related outbreak in the state. Recall team members include representatives from the department of agriculture, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey Department of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, New Jersey Farm Bureau and the Produce Safety Network;
- A town meeting for growers hosted by the department of agriculture that addressed procedures for possible recalls in the state, which was attended by the secretary of agriculture and the bureau chief of compliance and enforcement;
- Agency and FDA funding to promote farm food-safety principles and good agricultural practices through implementation of focused education and outreach programs; and
- Jersey Fresh quality-grading standards, produce farm inspections and third-party auditing of farms to ensure that fresh, high-quality, safe food reaches consumers.
“Our ‘On-Farm Produce Safety’ website provides information on the Produce Safety Rule and third-party audits,” Atchison said. “This is a great resource for growers, as well as consumers, who are interested in the food-safety programs maintained in the state of New Jersey.”
The site is available at nj.gov/agriculture/producesafety/.
