Small Farms and Specialty Crops in Fresno and Madera Counties

Food Safety for Small Farms

Whether your farm is 2 acres or 2,000 acres, good agricultural practices (GAPs) and compliance with food safety regulations are important to avoid outbreaks and access markets. Every year in the US, roughly 48 million people get sick due to food borne illnesses. Out of the 48 million people affected, about 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die (taken from Food Safety Magazine, 2017).

The food safety resources and downloadable templates on this site are available to print for use, and contact information for professionals and organizations involved with food safety can be found on this site as well. We are available to help small-scale farms with food safety compliance.

If you have any questions, please contact our office by calling (559) 241-7515. Also see the Food Safety page on the UC Small Farm Program website.

 

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

CURRENT Food safety GAPs Manual Template (Self-Certification) (Doc, 63.2 KB) 

Resources for GAPs 2012

Cornell – National GAPs in Hmong, Lao, and Spanish

GAP Harmonization

North Carolina State Fresh Produce Safety

 

Audits

USDA Audit Checklist

Companies and Agencies that will do 3rd Party Audits (PDF, 137 KB)

Video: USDA Food Safety Third Party Audit for GAPs

 

Other Resources

Cornell – Food Safety Alliance

Water Tests and Assessments 2012

LGMA Leafy Green Marketing Agreement

 

Food Safety Laws

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act