Confused about Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), or the Produce Safety Rule? Chesapeake Harvest can help!

We offer FREE, USDA Harmonized GAP aligned, Food Safety workshops and individualized consultations to farmers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

After you enroll in our program, we schedule a farm risk assessment to review things like water supply, post-harvest handling, and record keeping. This initial assessment lasts a couple of hours and prepares you to draft a written Food Safety Plan, an essential element of the eventual certification. Once the safety plan is written and implemented, the farm can schedule the USDA audit, often taking advantage of cost share programs available through their state’s Department of Agriculture.

Like it or not, Food Safety concerns are here to stay. Driven by consumer demand, buyers are beginning to insist that the fruits and vegetables they purchase come with some level of safety assurance, like GAP certification. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration launched FSMA, a law that applies, in varying degrees, to all farms. Both FSMA and GAP demand attention from the farmer. To support regional growers with these challenges, Chesapeake Harvest helps your farm take the steps needed to be compliant and, ultimately, to achieve United States Department of Agriculture Harmonized GAP certification.