New Produce Safety Blog!
Starting July 2024 we will start adding regular posts pertaining to all things produce safety! Events Announcements Partnership and Producer Spotlights Capacity Building Projects On-Farm Projects Greenhouse & Hightunnel Projects Packinghouse Projects Marketplace Projects
Partnership Spotlight: Virginia Farm to School (F2S) Efforts
Some children participants at Families, Food, and Fun after-school program For many years, the whole farm to fork movement, and the increased demand for children to have access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthier lifestyles, have propelled great strides in the National Farm to School movement. Collaborations between Virginia Cooperative Extension [...]
Partnerships Spotlight: Tricycle Urban Agriculture Fellowship Program
RVA's Urban Farm on Bainbridge St & W 9th St Tricycle Urban Agriculture has been working with Richmond communities since 2010, when it began Richmond's first Urban Farm. The work of Tricycle has not only grown literally in the size and number of its various farm and garden sites, but in its many [...]
Partnerships Spotlight: The Conservation Fund and FRESHFARM Market
To follow up on the August 16, 2018 post, I wanted to start with some work we have been doing with The Conservation Fund and FRESHFARM Markets since early 2016. The Conservation Fund (CF) and FRESHFARM Markets (FFM) obtained funding from the USDA to provide food safety training and assistance with the GAP certification process [...]
Partnerships are a Vital Part of the Work of the Virginia Fresh Produce Food Safety Team
On-farm Risk Assessment at Garner's Produce in Warsaw, VA, along with VCE-Westmoreland, Conservation Fund, and FRESHFARM Market Staff. ©The Conservation Fund Like all the efforts within Virginia Cooperative Extension, a critical component of the work of the Virginia Fresh Produce Food Safety Team is fostering and strengthening relationships with our many stakeholders. It [...]
Accessing Markets by Improving Virginia’s Fresh Produce Food Safety Culture
PI: Vallotton, Co-PIs: Archibald, Boyer, DuBois, & Vargo Goal: In this project, the Fresh Produce Food Safety Team, in partnership with Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and Local Food Hub (LFH), conducted a market assessment for food procurement requirements and expectations related to food safety assurances / certification in six market [...]