Harvest, Postharvest Handling, Storage and Transport

harvest and post harvest Contamination that occurs at or after harvest is of special concern because there is less time for natural processes to reduce contamination to a safe level before someone eats the produce.

A final “food safety field check” before harvest identifies situations that suggest a field might be contaminated and shouldn’t be harvested. After harvest, producers must focus on checking the cleanliness of every surface, implement, container, and spray that touches the produce, as well as any vehicle or building used to transport, pack, process, or store the produce.

Practices that maintain postharvest quality (such as grading out damaged or decayed product and cooling produce to appropriate temperature) are also recommended to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. There are a number practices to minimize risk during harvest, postharvest handling, storage, and transport. Growers should:

Practice good general sanitation

Clean equipment

Ensure water quality

Separate hazardous materials from produce

Control temperature and humidity

The resources below provide detailed looks at harvest and postharvest concerns. Use the
information to learn about the risks, assess an operation, and identify changes that will reduce risk.

Resources

	Title	Link	Institution or Agency
: : ‎(5)
	Food Safety Begins on the Farm A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks	Link	Cornell University
	Farm Food Safety Decision Tree Project	Link	Cornell
	Kansas State Food-A-Syst: A Food Safety Risk Management Guide for the Producer	Link	Kansas State University
	Produce Safety Alliance Resources List	Link	Produce Safety Alliance
	Food Safety Regulations for Farmers’ Markets	pdf	Purdue University
: : Equipment ‎(3)
	Build a Hands-Free Washer	pdf	University of Wisconsin-Madison
	Mesh Produce Bags: Easy Batch Processing	http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_pdf/mesh4web.pdf	University of Wisconsin-Madison
	Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits project at Univ. of Wisconsin	http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/index4.htm	University of Wisconsin-Madison
: : Facility Design ‎(2)
	Packing Shed Layout	http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_pdf/shed4web.pdf	University of Wisconsin-Madison
	Streamlining Your Sales Area	http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/tipsheets_pdf/sales4web.pdf	University of Wisconsin-Madison
: : Health and Hygiene ‎(1)
	Hand and Dish washing information sheet	pdf	Indiana State Department of Health
: : Home Storage and Handling ‎(1)
	Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-Squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices	www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm114299.htm	FDA
: : Pathogens ‎(2)
	Food Safety for Fruit and Vegetable Farms: BARDOT-A New, Fast Method for Identifying Microbes	pdf	Purdue University
	Listeria monocytogenes in Produce Packing Houses	Link	Indiana State Dept. of Health
: : Postharvest General ‎(2)
	Postharvest Handling and Storage page at Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Connection	https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/fruitveg/Pages/harvest.aspx	Purdue University
	Postharvest resources from Univ. of Florida	http://postharvest.ifas.ufl.edu/	University of Florida
: : Sanitation ‎(3)
	Basic Elements of Equipment Cleaning and Sanitizing in Food Processing and Handling Operations, FS14	Basic Elements of Equipment Cleaning and Sanitizing in Food Processing and Handling Operations	Univ. of Florida
	NSF Product and Service Listings	Link	National Sanitation Foundation
	Sanitation in Produce Packing Sheds	pdf	Indiana State Dept. of Health
: : Water ‎(13)
	Sanitizers Approved for Wash or Process Water	pdf	Purdue University
	Sanitizers for Produce Wash or Process Water	Sanitizers for Produce Wash or Process Wash	Purdue University
	Top FAQs about Produce Wash Water Management for Small -Scale and Direct Market Farms (Webinar slides,9.12.2012)	Top FAQs about Produce Wash Water Management for Small -Scale and Direct Market Farms 9.12.2012. Slides	UC Davis and CPS
	Approved Chemicals for Use in Organic Postharvest Systems	link	eXtension
	Chlorine Use in Produce Packing Lines	Chlorine Use in Produce Packing Lines	Univ. Florida
	Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management – Well Disinfection	https://engineering.purdue.edu/SafeWater/drinkinfo/welldisinfection.pdf	Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management
	On-farm Food Safety for Produce Growers: Microbial Water Quality testing	pdf	Purdue University
	Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) for Water Disinfection Monitoring, Control, and Documentation Pub. 8149	Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) for Water Disinfection Monitoring, Control, and Documentation	UC Davis
	Postharvest Chlorination: Basic Principles and Key Points for Effective Disinfection	http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8003.pdf	UC Davis
	Water Disinfection: A Practical Approach to Calculating Dose Values for Preharvest and Postharvest Applications	http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7256.pdf	UC Davis
	Postharvest publications from UC Davis	http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/libraries/publications/	UC Davis

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Food Safety for Fruit and Vegetable Farms

Harvest, Postharvest Handling, Storage, and Transport

Harvest, Postharvest Handling, Storage and Transport

Resources

Food Safety for Fruit
and Vegetable Farms