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Good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good handling practices (GHPs) encompass the general procedures growers, packers, and processors of fresh fruits and vegetables should follow to ensure the safety of their product. GAPs usually address preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 7-page fact sheet covers GAPs and GHPs relating to water use. This major revision is a part of the Food Safety on the Farm series and was written by Jaysankar De, Christopher R. Pabst, Jessica Lepper, Renée Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs136

Good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good handling practices (GHPs) encompass the general procedures growers, packers, and processors of fresh fruits and vegetables should follow to ensure the safety of their product. GAPs usually address preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 3-page fact sheet covers the GAPs of transporting crops. This major revision is a part of the Food Safety on the Farm series and was written by Christopher R. Pabst, Jaysankar De, Alina Balaguero, Jessica Lepper, Renée Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs151

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) are voluntary audits that verify fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible to keep the risks of microbial food safety hazards at the minimal level. Good Agricultural Practices usually deal with preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 3-page fact sheet in the Food Safety on the Farm series covers GAPs and GHPs relating to traceback, or the ability to track food items, such as fresh produce, back to their source. This major revision was written by Jaysankar De, Christopher R. Pabst, Alexandra S. Chang, Renée M. Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs152

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Handling Practices (GHPs) encompass the general procedures growers, packers, and processors of fresh fruits and vegetables should follow to ensure the safety of their product. GAPs usually deal with pre-harvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs tend to cover post-harvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 5-page entry in the Food Safety on the Farm series focuses on Good Agricultural Practices, including pathogen reduction and handling and application, to control potential hazards when working with manure and biosolids. This major revision was written by Jaysankar De, Christopher R. Pabst, Jessica Lepper, Renée M. Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith R. Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs150

HACCP is a food safety management system that is used in various segments of the food industry. The objectives of this 4-page fact sheet are to introduce the topic and to summarize the key components of a HACCP program. Written by J. A. Lepper, R. M. Goodrich-Schneider, K. R. Schneider, M. D. Danyluk and A. Sreedharan and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, January 2018. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs122

The bacterium Clostridium perfringens causes of one of the most common type of foodborne gastroenteritis, often referred to as perfringens food poisoning, in the US (FDA 2012). It is associated with consuming contaminated food that contains great numbers of vegetative cells and spores that will produce toxin inside the intestine. There are two forms of disease caused by C. perfringens: gastroenteritis and enteritis necroticans. The latter disease, also known as pig-bel disease, is not common in the US. It is often associated with contaminated pork (FDA 2012) and can be very severe.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Handling Practices (GHPs) encompass the general procedures that growers, packers, and processors of fresh fruits and vegetables should follow to ensure the safety of their product. GAPs usually deal with preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This 5-page fact sheet covers harvest practices associated with sanitation in the field, including basic principles for microbial food safety and control of potential hazards. This major revision is a part of the Food Safety on the Farm series and was written by Jessica Lepper, Jaysankar De, Christopher Pabst, Renée Goodrich-Schneider, and Keith Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs160

Any business involved in the manufacture, processing, packing, holding, or delivery of food to humans needs to understand and address food recalls. When safety concerns arise with food you are manufacturing, you have a legal and ethical responsibility to mitigate any damage to the health and wellbeing of consumers. This manual details what you need to know to effectively understand and handle a food recall. Written by Keith R. Schneider, Renee Goodrich-Schneider, Douglas A. Archer, Michelle D. Danyluk, George L. Baker, and Chris Thomas and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, February 2018. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs108

This 7-page fact sheet is one in a series covering the different rules promulgated under the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was signed into law on January 4, 2011. It is intended to provide an overview of the final Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) rule. Written by Jessica A. Lepper, Soohyoun Ahn, Keith R. Schneider, Michelle D. Danyluk, and Renee Goodrich-Schneider and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, January 2018. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs301

Good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good handling practices (GHPs) encompass the general procedures that growers, packers and processors of fresh fruits and vegetables should follow to ensure the safety of their product. GAPs usually deal with preharvest practices (i.e., in the field), while GHPs cover postharvest practices, including packing and shipping. This factsheet covers GAPs and GHPs relating to worker health and hygiene. There are seven other Florida Cooperative Extension factsheets in the 'Food Safety on the Farm' series that focus on specific aspects of the GAPs program and how they relate to Florida crops and practices. Under the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), GAPs are a foundation of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Other than for round tomatoes in Florida (T-GAPs regulation), GAPs have mainly been a voluntary program. Additionally the PSR mandates all non-exempt operations to follow these new FSMA federal guidelines (8), but all exempt commodities and for those producers exporting to foreign countries, GAPs may still be required. Both the mandatory PSR and GAPs aim to reduce the foodborne illness burden associated with produce.

Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium that causes botulism. Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, slightly curved, motile, anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium that produces heat-resistant endospores. These endospores, which are very resistant to a number of environmental stresses such as heat and high acid, can become activated in anaerobic environments, low acidity (pH > 4.6), high moisture content, and in temperatures ranging from 40ºF to 250ºF (4ºC to 121ºC) (Sobel et al. 2004). In hostile environmental conditions, the heat-resistant spores enable the bacteria to survive for extended periods of time in a dormant state until conditions become more favorable.

Revised! FSHN-03-1, a 5-page fact sheet by Keith R. Schneider, Renée Goodrich Schneider, Michael A. Hubbard, and Alexandra Chang, discusses the common foodborne pathogen E. coli O157:H7, especially as it concerns food handlers, processors, and retailers. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, November 2009. FSHN031/FS097: Preventing Foodborne Illness: E. coli O157:H7 (ufl.edu)

FSHN-09-02, a 3-page fact sheet by Anita C. Wright, Renée Goodrich Schneider, Michael A. Hubbard, and Keith R. Schneider, answers questions about this illness associated with eating raw oysters, describes how to receive and store seafood and shellfish, and explains how to prevent infection in high-risk individuals. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, July 2009. FSHN09-02/FS147: Preventing Foodborne and Non-foodborne Illness: Vibrio vulnificus (ufl.edu)

Revised! FSHN-05-21, a 4-page fact sheet by R. Goodrich Schneider, K.R. Schneider, C.D. Webb, M. Hubbard, and D.L. Archer, discusses the use of biological agents in a deliberate, harmful attack, or terrorism using the weapons of biological warfare against the U.S. agricultural and food processing system. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, April 2009. FSHN0521/FS126: Agroterrorism in the US: An Overview (ufl.edu)