June 27, 2017
New Resources for Finding Food Safety and GAP Certified Farms and GHP Distributors
Many institutions are looking to purchase food from farms that have met certain food safety standards. USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) certifications are voluntary audits that verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored as safely as possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards.
But finding the farms and distributors that are certified in food safety can be challenging and time-consuming for buyers. Check out our new Certified Farms and Distributors resource page to learn about different types of certification and the New York Grown & Certified program, and find listings of certified farms and distributors to contact for your purchasing needs.
Congratulations USDA Farm to School Grant Awardees in New York!
See the full listing and project descriptions here.
The Indian River Central School District, in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, is implementing a comprehensive farm to school plan to provide fresh, local, nutritious food that benefits the community and local farmers. The farm to school plan will include district-wide curricular elements, a primary school garden, and taste-tests.
Edible Schoolyard NYC (ESYNYC) will partner with public schools to transform the hearts, minds, and eating habits of young New Yorkers. ESYNYC’s will build and refine its existing network schools pilot program which brings scalable edible education to public school students in the highest-need communities in New York City. Hands-on nutrition, environmental, and practical education is integrated into the whole school environment and complements Common Core standards.
Capital Roots: "Mind the GAP" is Capital Roots’ effort to use the power of its existing regional food hub and its longstanding working relationships with farms and schools to knock down barriers. Capital Roots’ online ordering and delivery system for institutions will be used to connect schools with the limited number of GAP certified farms in the region, while other partner farms will be groomed for GAP and helped through the certification process.
National Food Service Director of the Year
Mark Bordeau, Senior Director of Food Service for Broome-Tioga has been named Food Service Director of the Year by the School Nutrition Association! Mark and his team have been doing fantastic work in New York for many years to bring more local, nutritious food into the cafeteria, and we're pleased to see his efforts recognized nationally. Read more on TrayTalk.
Top photo provided by Reeves Farm.