October 7, 2021 | Montpelier, VT - The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) Produce Program will provide 40 produce farms with new harvest crates, storage bins, and cleaning supplies to improve produce safety and efficiency. Farms must apply for the produce safety supply kits by Friday, October 22 at 12 PM.
These produce safety supply kits will support farms in improving container cleaning and management procedures. Strong cleaning and management procedures are important because clean farm containers can reduce the risk of cross-contaminating crops with human pathogens or spoilage microorganisms. Forty approved applicants will receive a complete Produce Safety Supply Kit, including 1 bucket, 1 brush, 1 bench squeegee, and a custom number of containers. Farms will receive the customized number of containers based on their request and available supply.
Eligible farms must:
- Be enrolled in the Vermont Produce Portal;
- Grow, harvest, pack, or hold “covered produce” as defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
Farms of all sizes are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to farms with average annual produce sales of greater than $28,561 over the past three years. Apply by Friday, October 22nd at 12 PM: https://agriculture.vermont.gov/grants/producesafety/kits
Successful applicants will need to pick up supplies at the Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Lab in Randolph, VT on Wednesday, October 27 or Monday, November 1. Please direct any questions to Gina Clithero at gina.clithero@vermont.gov or 802-585-6225.
This publication was supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award U2FFD007405-01 totaling $491,500 with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS or the U.S. Government.
Contact: Gina Clithero (she/her)
VAAFM Agriculture Development Specialist | Vermont Produce Program
gina.clithero@vermont.gov | (802) 585-6225