SMALL FRUIT FARMING GAPs

Item	Standard	Information	Other
Farm Customers	Posted GHPs for customers to see and recognize as a minimum standard for the selection and picking of small fruit. These standards include but are not limited to: Clean appropriate clothing. Use of Restrooms. Control of Children. Hand-washing suggestions. Container Policy Detached Fruit and Vegetables Touched Fruit and Vegetables Disposition of trash Washing all Fruits and Vegetables prior to consumption – Special Notification	Signs should be large and posted in locations where customers can see and understand that the farm has minimum standards for food safety.	Customers should be casually observed to ensure there are no gross violations of the visitor standards.
Clean Clothing	Clean clothing that has the appearance of cleanliness, shoes that are appropriate for field conditions, children in diapers and other field appropriate wear given the nature of the farm and commodity.	This standard is highly dependent on the enforcement of the farmer.	Difficult to enforce and inspectors should only make recommendations or suggestions with this standard.
Restrooms	Restrooms should be adequate for the average number of customers at the farm. These restrooms should be easy to walk to, accessible and fully stocked with paper, water, soap and checked frequently for cleanliness.	This is an important standard and care should be taken to ensure customers are aware of locations, the necessity to use these and not use the field for such purposes.	Inspectors shall enforce this standard.
Control of Children	Customer children should not be allowed to wander in the field and touch fruit aimlessly.	Children need to be controlled for a variety of reasons including food safety.	Inspectors should make recommendations and suggestions.
Hand-washing	Hand-washing shall be emphasized at every opportunity with wash locations and hand sanitizers. There shall be adeqate signage designating these locations.	Signage should suggest frequent hand-washing before and during picking.	The process for washing hands is an added benefit.
Fruit and Vegetable Containers	Containers shall be clean to-the-naked eye and provide a barrier to contamination.	Containers shall be such that if resued on the farm it is done in such a manner that cross-contamnation does not occur.	Customer brought containers should not be considered clean for the containing of product.
Detached Fruit and Vegetables	Detached product shall not be picked up from the ground.	Detached fruit and vegetables are considered contaminated.
Touched Fruit and Vegetables	Touched fruit is purchased fruit. If touched fruit is not desired it should be discarded on the ground.	Fruit which has been touched is considered contaminated.
Dispositon of Trash	Customers shall be provided marked trash containers.	Discarding trash on the ground is unacceptable.	The use of food containers is not acceptable as trash containers.