The number of FDA recalls has been dropping in recent years, but there is still a lot that needs to be done to lower the number each year. Some of the causes for food recalls are downright terrifying.
When there is a food recall in the headlines, or a foodstuff is destroyed before it ever reaches supermarket shelves, it results in massive volumes of food waste.
You do not want your hard work as a grower to go to waste, do you? But what can you do to avoid becoming the next person on the list? Find out below.
Control Your Farm’s Environment
The most efficient strategy to prevent the sort of contamination that leads to a recall is to monitor your farm’s environment properly. Open-air farms can be contaminated by runoff, pests, and pollutants.
Fortunately, you can easily regulate who and what gets access to your crops by bringing your farm indoors. Almost all contamination risks are removed or greatly reduced in a hydroponic setting.
Implement Cleaning Procedures
Even after you move your business indoors, there is always a danger of contamination. As a result, it is critical to examine and clean each section of your greenhouse regularly. Undertake a thorough cleaning procedure on the work surfaces, the lighting fixtures, and more.
Perform Routine Testing
In addition to a visual check for obvious pollutants, it is imperative to do microbiological testing to detect any infections that may be present. Testing for such microorganisms on a regular basis helps to identify any problems early on. As a result, you will not have to discard as much produce in case of emergence.
Review Procedures and Operations Regularly
Avoiding recalls can be difficult, and it requires you to be on top of things. To keep impurities out of your plants, you must maintain continual attention, use the highest degree of quality control, and have the necessary expertise and technology.
There is no time for carelessness, no matter how great your procedures and practices are. Make it a habit to go over your whole operation from start to end on a routine basis.
Evaluate areas that still need to be enhanced and keep up with industry updates to learn about new approaches and technology that could help your corporation.
Make sure you are developing a food safety culture by reviewing processes with staff on a routine basis so that if problems start to emerge, they can be rectified promptly.
Partner with Home Grown Farm Today!
Thankfully, there is a simple system to stay ahead of the game when it comes to food safety. Home Grown Farm provides a hydroponic system that includes all of our safety knowledge. Our hydroponic greenhouses adhere to the highest Global Food Safety Initiatives standards to ensure constant vigilance, monitoring procedures, and high-quality sanitization.