angie.thompson@gaflnews.com



TIFTON — A Tift County farming operation recently won one of the first three Georgia Food Safety “Good Agriculture Practices (GAP)” Certificates in recognition of its agricultural and food safety practices.

Lewis Taylor Farms, Inc., is a farm and packaging facility located off Ty Ty-Omega Road. Company President Bill Brim greeted Georgia Agricultural Commissioner Tommy Irvin and members of his marketing department and members of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Association Thursday at the facility.

GAP came as a result of the 1997 report issued by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture containing guidelines for the fruit and vegetable industry that would minimize potential microbial food safety hazards and build upon agricultural and management practices many of the farmers were already implementing.

George Ponder, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) field coordinator, said that the program, although not regulatory and lists only “recommendations,” is having positive results.

Ponder said consumers are demanding more information and accountability from grocery chains, restaurants and food service institutions and growers should expect to be asked more to certify that their farming operations are following proper guidelines in the growing and packing of produce.

Farmers and packers of produce who wish to receive the GAP award must keep detailed documentation on everything from worker hygiene practices, water testing and chlorinating procedures and facility sanitation practices, to mention a few.

“Most of the larger packing sheds are doing 80 percent of these practices already,” Ponder said.

Ponder said that five years ago, a major grocery chain demanded that growers be monitored by a third party and the GAP Program was born.

“Stores want to see that food illnesses are prevented,” Ponder said.

“We have to have a good program to keep the quality high from the beginning,” Irvin said.

Applications for the program are first made to GFVGA Executive Director Charles Hall. University of Georgia Extension Agents then assist GFVGA representatives to conduct a pre-audit of the operation with assistance from the UGA Extension Food Science and Horticulture specialists. The audit includes the applicable areas of crop production, field harvest and pack, facility pack, storage, transportation and tracking.

The certification process continues with a representative of the Georgia Crop Improvement Association conducting the actual audit. Any non-compliance is noted and growers are then given a reasonable amount of time to comply.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture oversees compliance with the program.

Brim credited Irvin on behalf of the GFVGA for securing the funding for the GAP program through the legislature.

“Commissioner Irvin went out on a limb when we asked him to help us develop this program,” Brim said.

Brim said the GAP certification and the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s “Georgia Grown” marketing initiative are tools Georgia farmers are using to sell their products to buyers. Several representatives from Food Lion’s corporate office were also at the farm Thursday.



To contact reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321, ext. 208.