Wegmans Implements GAP Food Safety Campaign on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

<p>Wegmans is implementing a food safety campaign this month, focused on fresh fruits and vegetables. The retailer is requiring all growers who provide fresh produce to Wegmans, show they’ve passed a “Good Agricultural Practices” inspection beginning September 30, 2013. Wegmans began phasing in this GAP requirement in 2008, starting with growers with crops thought to be high risk, like spinach or melons. The grocer has expanded the requirement over the past few years, to apply to more kinds of fresh produce. alerting growers that Wegmans would eventually require all of its produce partners to pass a GAPs audit, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Wegmans began hosting food safety education training sessions for growers in 2005, and several hundred growers to date have participated in these programs. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“The good news is that nearly all of the growers we work with have already passed a GAPs audit,” says Bill Pool, Food Safety Manager for produce at Wegmans, “and if a grower misses this deadline, we’ll look at reinstatement after they’ve passed an inspection.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The food safety movement has been picking up momentum in the U.S. in response to growing public concern about outbreaks of illness linked to crops. Some of those crops often consumed include raw spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, melons, and green onions. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“These audits are the best way we have to know that a grower is following practices to minimize the chance of pathogens getting into the food supply,” Pool explains. “We all want to keep earning our customers’ trust in the safety of the fresh foods we offer.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Many larger growers that supply Wegmans, completed audits soon after they became available, Pool says. “Some of the smaller local growers we work with didn’t have the same resources, so it took them longer. We’ve partnered with research universities and held training sessions to help educate smaller growers. Food safety concerns apply to farms of all sizes, and it doesn’t really matter if the farm is conventional or organic. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act has an exemption for small farms, but we believe that rigorous food safety standards should apply to all farms we work with.” </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Cost for the Wegmans' sessions were picked up by Wegmans. “We got the growers and the extension educators in the same room at the same time,” Pool says. The training materials helped growers understand the food safety issues behind the GAPs recommendations, and how to get ready for an audit. The company has also reimbursed small growers $400 to help offset costs associated with a completed and verified audit.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10052&amp;catalogId=10002&amp;langId=-1&amp;identifier=CATEGORY_2141" target="_new">Wegmans</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">