A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and the Ministry of Rural Affairs (MRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 5pm.
For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAF and MRA Website: www.ontario.ca/omafra
TRAINING WORKERS ON WORKER PRACTICES
by Wayne Du, On-Farm Food Safety Specialist
Food safety programs are becoming a requirement of doing business in Ontario. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) and the Ministry of Rural Affairs (MRA) are here to help you keep up to date on the latest food safety practices, ensuring you meet your buyer requirements, expand your market access and continue to keep Ontario’s food safe.
Worker Practices is an important food safety topic and training in this area will have a big impact on reducing food safety risks for your farm. Workers can contaminate food, food contact surfaces, water supplies and packaging materials if they do not follow good worker practices. Worker practices focus on food safety risks associated with eating, drinking, smoking and chewing tobacco or gum, wearing jewelry and storage of food and other personal belongs at the workplace. Good worker practices are especially important on farms that have workers coming in direct contact with the product such as handling eggs, honey, fruits or vegetables or milking livestock.
Training workers on worker practices is essential to safe food production and is a requirement of all food safety programs. If workers don’t know it, they won’t do it. So make a commitment to food safety and train your workers today.
Worker practices require employers to:
• Develop written procedures for worker practices. These include who, what, how, where and when associated with carrying out the practice correctly.
• Provide designated areas for eating, drinking, smoking and storage of food, drink and other personal belongings. The designated areas must be separate from production, handling, packaging and storage areas. Clearly identify and label these areas to ensure workers use them correctly.
• Train workers, especially those newly hired, on worker practices. Ensure that workers clearly understand the expected practices and their food safety responsibility. Keep signed (by both the trainer and trainees) and dated training records.
• Designate someone to monitor your workers and ensure that they are following the worker practices all the time.
• Retrain your workers at the start of each season and if an incident has occurred.
Worker practices require workers to:
• Store personal food, drink, medication and other personal belongs such as jewelry, watches, badges, and others items in the designated areas.
• Eat, drink or administer medication in a designated area such as in a lunchroom.
• Avoid the use of glass bottles or brittle plastics.
• Refrain from smoking, chewing tobacco or gum and spitting in or around food production, handling and storage areas.
• Avoid wearing jewelry, nail polish, badges, pins, or similar type items at work.
Food safety is everyone’s responsibility. Make food safety training your priority! To attend one of our free online workshops on Work Practices and other important food safety topics, visit us at: www.ontario.ca/foodsafety or call: 1-877-424-1300. Food safety practices keep agri-food businesses competitive, productive and sustainable.
PUT MORE LOCAL FOOD ON YOUR TABLE
Eating local is convenient and easy, just pick up a copy of the 2013 Taste Real Local Food Map from your local library, farmers’ market or Taste Real partner locations in Guelph and Wellington County. Your local Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs resource centre also has copies available.
The Taste Real Local Food Map is your guide to finding fresh food grown close to home. Inside you’ll find a list of local food destinations, including farms, restaurants, retailers, farmers’ markets and caterers, that will help you and your family put local food first.
When visiting a Taste Real destination, don’t forget to ask about the story behind your food. Our partners are more than happy to share their story with you.
COMING EVENTS
July 9: Ontario Canola Growers Association Canola Crop Tour; 10am at Holmes Agro, Orangeville; Contact: Carrie James, 519-986-3519.
July 10: Forage Expo; 10am to 3:30pm. Admission is free. Dave Kuntz, Ikendale Farm, 1062 Concession 14, Carrick, RR4, Walkerton. Check the website for more information: http://www.ontarioforagecouncil.com/programs/ontario-forage-expo.html.
July 11: FarmSmart Expo and Youth Day – all day event at the University of Guelph, Elora Research Station, 6182 2nd Line, Ariss (south of Elora, one block west of County Road 7). NEW THIS YEAR! The FarmSmart Expo Youth Day Event will be combined with FarmSmart Expo. To Register call: 1-877-424-1300.
July 11-13: Ontario Maple Syrup Producers summer tour in Cornwall, Ontario. For more information, visit: http://www.ontariomaple.com/pages/summer_tour/.
Aug. 6: Wellington Federation of Agriculture, monthly board meeting at OMAF and MRA in Elora at 7:30pm. For information contact Lisa Hern at: 519-848-3774 or email: jplh@golden.net.
Sept.10-12: Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show: http://www.outdoorfarmshow.com/.
