Food Safety Planning Down on the Farm: Examples from Ohio Certified Organic Farms

Need a helping hand with food safety planning? We can help!

This report can help you understand what it means to develop a farm food safety plan and meet new federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rules.Food Safety Planning Down on the Farm: Examples from Ohio Certified Organic Farms features case studies of eight vegetable and fruit farms of various scales and serving diverse markets. The publication identifies challenges that these farms faced in developing their own food safety plans and explores what changes they made to reduce their risk.
Whether or not you are certified organic, we hope you’ll see yourself in these profiles, be able to take away new ideas, and feel less intimidated by food safety planning and costs.

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To request a printed copy, please call (614) 421-2022.

This publication was financed through a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) provisions. This is a USDA SCBGP-supported publication. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.

Food Safety Planning Resources

Food Safety Planning Resource Binder—13 templates, samples, checklists and other resources for developing your farm’s food safety plan
FSMA Produce Safety Rule 21 CFR 112—Complete text of the Food and Drug Administration federal law
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)/Good Handling Practices (GHP) Harmonized Food Safety Standard—One code of standards that is compliant with FSMA, with an established auditing process
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Food Safety Webpage—Helpful guidance documents and resources
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidance—Resources and update postings throughout the FSMA implementation period
FDA FSMA Technical Assistance Network (TAN)—Post questions and receive answers directly from the FDA. The site includes an archive of previous answers and established precedents
Produce Safety Alliance—Accredited growers training classes and helpful resources
North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension, and Technical Assistance—Connect with resources and food safety experts
Local Food Safety Collaborative—Accredited growers training classes and helpful resources
USDA Harmonized Audit—Example of an audit review form aligned with the Harmonized Standard
USDA Field Operations and Harvesting Checklist—Self-assessment checklist used in developing a Food Safety Plan covering production and harvest operations
USDA Post-Harvest Operations Checklist—Self-assessment checklist used in developing a Food Safety Plan covering post-harvest operations