Food Safety Plan for GardensUpdated August 19, 2014

Food safety of the garden begins during the planning stages. Steps must be taken to prevent the risk of contamination if the garden produce will be eaten by students or served as part of the school meal program. The size of the garden does not matter when it comes to food safety, even small gardens pots or single garden beds can harbor harmful microorganisms and impact food safety. This checklist will assist you in understanding the requirements of a food safety plan.

PRODUCTION

Location

Recommendation:Locate gardens away from garbage areas, wells, septic systems, utilities, animals and livestock. The area directly above the growing area should be free of tree limbs or utility lines where birds can perch.Plan: Explain how the location of your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

The Langley Middle School, South Whidbey Elementary School, South Whidbey Academy Garden, and the Farm Field are all located away from garbage areas, septic systems, utilities, animals and livestock. There are no limbs or utility lines above the gardens.

No changes.

YES NO N/A

Security

Recommendation:The garden area should be fenced and secure to deter intentional and unintentional visitors. Visitors should not be allowed unless a supervisor is present.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Langley Middle School Garden: Fenced and secure.

South Whidbey Elementary School Garden: Fencing at a distance around playground, but adequate for security purposes. Children have access to this garden during recess. The beds are raised so it is not possible to walk in them, and they have been taught to be respectful of the garden as part of their garden curriculum.

South Whidbey Academy Gardens: Fenced and secure. The fence around the SWA Garden has been removed as this garden is fenced in as a part of the School Farm.

Farm Field: This new area is being brought into cultivation and will be fenced and secure in spring 2014. Now fenced and secure as of July 2014. The South Whidbey Academy and the Farm Field have now merged into one ½ acre fenced area called the School Farm.

YES NO N/A

Fencing Recommendation:Fence openings should be no greater than 1 inch. This recommendation would mean that the entire fence would need to be 1” chicken wire, which is not standard practice for garden fencing.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

YES NO N/A

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Langley Middle School Garden: Fenced with standard garden fencing and 1” chicken wire 18 “ high at the bottom to keep out rabbits.

South Whidbey Elementary School Garden: Chainlink fence around playground perimeter. Height of raised box beds serves as impediment to animals. Additional hoops with netting have been added to prevent deer browse.

South Whidbey Academy Garden: Fenced with mesh deer fencing and 1” chicken wire 18” high at the bottom to keep out rabbits. The SWA Garden has become part of the larger, fenced School Farm and its fence has been removed.

Farm Field: This new area will be fenced in the spring 2014 with standard garden fencing and 1” chicken wire 18 “ high at the bottom to keep out rabbits. The fence was installed using “Deer and Orchard Fencing” which has increasingly smaller mesh towards the bottom to keep out rabbits. There are currently no rabbits in this area so initially we have not gone to the additional effort to install chicken wire. If rabbits are seen and the smaller mesh is not preventative, chicken wire will be promptly installed.

Soil Testing/Soil History

Recommendation:If commercial soil is not used, soil must be initially tested for volatile organic compounds and lead. Maintain records.Plan: Describe the results of any soil testing performed or where soil was purchased. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Langley Middle School Garden: Native soil in raised beds. Soil tests with University of Massachusetts Soil Laboratory on record at School District.

South Whidbey Elementary School Garden: Commercial soil from Whidbey Topsoil. Soil tests with University of Massachusetts Soil Laboratory on record at School District.

Farm Field next to Elementary School: Native soil in tilled field. Soil tests with University of Massachusetts Soil Laboratory on record at School District.

South Whidbey Academy Garden: Native soil on terraced beds. Soil tests with University of Massachusetts Soil Laboratory on record at School District. The results of this soil test have not been received at the time of submittal of this plan, but the soil tests have been sent to U Mass.

Soil tests have been done with U Mass, and also with Logan Labs, for all gardens.

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Water Testing

Recommendation:Only clean and potable water should be used in the garden. All water sources for the garden should be tested annually to conform to EPA standards. Records must be maintained.Plan: Describe the water source for your garden and the results of testing. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Langley Middle School: City of Langley potable water. Tests on record at the City of Langley.

South Whidbey Elementary School: School District potable water. Tests on record at the South Whidbey School District.

South Whidbey Academy Garden: School District potable water. Tests on record at the South Whidbey School District.

Farm Field: School District potable water. Tests on record at the South Whidbey School District.

No changes.

YES NO N/A

Compost And Manure

Recommendation:Composting is very complex and regulations can vary. Only commercial compost should be used. Avoid the use of fresh manure.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

There are many options for amending the soil with compost, and all composts for used in the garden are well-aged and completely transformed into stable organic matter.

Making compost is part of the garden curriculum, demonstrating to the students how the cycle of how decomposition creates soil fertility. Garden debris is piled in a bin compost system made of pallets. After 12 months, the organic matter has broken down into compost, which is used in the garden. This method of making compost is safe for following reasons: 1) only plant matter from the garden is deposited in the compost bins, 2) the garden is cultivated using organic methods, and there are no pesticide or herbicide compounds in the compost.

In addition, Commercial mushroom compost may be purchased from Andrew’s

Landshapers http://www.landshapersandrews.com/ Cedar Grove Compost may be purchased from Cedar Grove http://cedar-

grove.com/ Fresh seaweed is collected from the beach. Fallen autumn leaves are used as mulch, and are also piled up and

composted for leaf mold, an ingredient in potting soil. Grass clippings are used as mulch, and also used in compost piles. We verify

that the grass has not been treated with herbicides. Vermicastings, made by red wriggler worms consuming food scraps, are

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completely worked into the soil when starts are transplanted, and are a valuable soil amendment. The school gardens are currently using the vermicastings from the Good Cheer Food Bank worm bins. In-ground worm bins may also be installed in the school gardens to receive food scraps from the cafeteria. When the food scraps are added to the bin, they are covered with a thin layer of aged horse manure to provide the right balance of food to fiber for the worms. It takes about 2 - 3 months for the worms to convert the food scraps to rich vermicastings.http://goodcheergarden.wordpress.com/about-2/in-ground-concrete-worm-bins/

We request permission to use minimum 6-months aged horse manure in in-ground worm bins to cover the food scraps. The aged horse manure is completely consumed and transformed by the worms into vermicastings. There are no reports of human pathogens in vermicastings after the process is complete. Additionally, with the vermicastings worked into the soil completely, they pose no risk.

Vermicastings, together with compost and leaf mold, are used in making potting soil for starts.

Cedar Grove compost has proven to be an excellent compost product and we will be continuing to purchase from them.We will be installing worm bins in Fall 2014.

Fertilizer Recommendation:Only commercial fertilizers should be used.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Commercial pre-made organic fertilizers will be used. We will also be making our own blend of commercially purchased soil amendments using feather meal, alfalfa meal, bone meal, rock phosphate, rock dust, kelp meal and agricultural lime, dolomitic lime. In addition, liquid seaweed and liquid fish fertilizer may be used as side dressings.

This amendment blend is used in all the gardens, and the proportions are determined by the results of the soil test.

Gardeners applying amendments to the soil will be required to use gloves.

No changes.

YES NO N/A

Pest Control Recommendation:Avoid the use of pesticides.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

YES NO N/A

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No pesticides are used in any of the gardens. OMRI-approved Sluggo may be used to control slugs.

No changes.

SANITATIONWorker Health Recommendation:

There must be a written policy to exclude workers that have recently been ill or exhibit symptoms of foodborne illness such as: vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat and fever, jaundice, infected sores or cuts on exposed portions of the hands and arms. Signs must be posted to reinforce the policy.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

A sign will be displayed prominently in the garden that states:

“Please inform the garden leader immediately if you have vomiting diarrhea sore throat and fever jaundice infected sores or cuts on exposed portions of the hands and arms

If you have any of these symptoms or conditions, you are not permitted to work in the garden. Help us keep the garden produce safe from food-borne illnesses!”

These requirements will also be stressed in the food safety training that each student, volunteer, teacher and staff person will take who participates in the garden.

All students were given a food safety training and examination. Students are checked for food-borne illnesses prior to working in the garden. Appropriate locations for the signs are being determined.

YES NO N/A

Handwashing Recommendation:A handwashing station must be easily-accessible and be stocked with soap, water, towels and a waste receptacle. Training must be conducted for all workers. Handwashing signs must be posted to reinforce the policy.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

All school gardens have restrooms, sinks and/or handwashing stations supplied with soap, water, towels and a waste receptacle within short walking distance of the garden.

Langley Middle School: Handwashing station is in the 7th grade classroom adjacent to the garden. Should other classes use the garden, there is a restroom within 100 ft of the garden.

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South Whidbey Elementary School: There is a handwashing station 40 ft. from the garden.

South Whidbey Academy: Handwashing is available in restrooms adjacent to the classrooms and students can wash hands prior to going out to the garden. The garden is a 2-minute walk. A handwashing station will be built as part of the produce harvesting station in the new garden.

No changes with access to handwashing at the schools. There is now a Garden Resource Center adjacent to the School Farm with handwashing access. A produce harvest structure, which will include a handwashing station, will be built by Spring 2015 at the School Farm.

Restroom Facilities

Recommendation:Restrooms must be available for workers. Restrooms must be kept clean and stocked of supplies.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

All gardens have restrooms in their adjacent schools.

No change.

YES NO N/A

Training Recommendation:Training must be provided to help workers understand the relationship between food safety and personal hygiene. Topics must include proper hand washing, first aid procedures, proper response to blood or bodily fluids incidents in the garden, and the safe handling of produce. Training of each worker must be documented.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Age-appropriate training in food safety and personal hygiene training in the garden will be presented for elementary, middle school and high school students, teachers, staff and volunteers prior to their participation in the school garden program.

A summary of this training will be available in the garden to use as a reference.

Records will be kept of all those who have completed the training.

Training was completed for all students who participated in the garden. Teachers retained the records.

YES NO N/A

HARVESTContainers and Equipment

Recommendation:Harvest containers must be food grade and must be washed and sanitized before using. Harvest tools and equipment must also be washed and sanitized before using.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Food grade harvest totes will be used in all the gardens. They will be washed and sanitized before use.

Harvest tools will be washed and sanitized after each harvest, dried and stored in

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bins to keep clean and be ready for the next harvest.

All harvest totes and harvest tools will be dry prior to use for harvesting.

Handwashing is required prior to harvesting.

No change.

Identification and Traceability

Recommendation:Harvest containers should be labeled to include the product name, harvest date and row/bed or location where the produce was grown.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

When vegetables are harvested, they will be weighed and placed into food-grade harvest totes.

Each tote will have a permanent number, and a label that shows Tote Number, Harvest contents (type of vegetable), Date, Weight, School Garden Location, Bed #, Time of Harvest, Person harvesting, and Food service destination, and Person receiving.

Generally speaking, there will be one variety of vegetable per harvest tote. However if there is a small harvest of a particular variety, it will be bagged in food-grade plastic bag, labeled separately, and included in the harvest tote. This might happen, for example, with parsley or cilantro as a salad green, included in a lettuce tote. see note below

Harvest of root crops will be kept in separate totes from leafy greens. As complementary root crops, radishes may be bagged and labeled, and included in a tote with carrots. see note below

Records will be maintained to document the harvest. Records will be cross-referenced with each tote to show Tote Number, Harvest contents (type of vegetable), Date, Weight, School Garden Location and Bed #, Time of Harvest, Person harvesting, and Food service destination.

In practice, due to limited storage space in the cafeteria refrigerators, all produce was bagged and labeled, and then placed in the sanitized food grade harvest tote. There was no loose produce in totes. Since all produce was bagged in food grade plastic bags, the root crops and leafy greens were not separated into different totes.

YES NO N/A

TRANSPORT AND DELIVERYTransporting Recommendation:

To maintain produce quality and safety, the produce must be refrigerated immediately after harvesting. If the garden produce will be transported, a refrigerated vehicle or other approved method to keep the produce cold at or below 40oF is recommended. Transport vehicles must be kept clean and sanitary.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Produce will be harvested into food-grade totes and immediately brought under cover. After weighing, labeling and recording, produce will be delivered to food service facility at one of the schools. There are two ways this will happen:

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1. Because the school gardens are located within minutes of their food service facilities, refrigeration is not necessary. There would be no time for refrigeration to have an effect on the produce.

Langley Middle School Garden: The food service kitchen is 150 ft away from the garden, and the harvest totes can be walked, or transported on a cart, to the kitchen.

South Whidbey Elementary School Garden: The food service kitchen is 150 ft away from the garden, and the harvest totes can be walked, or transported on a cart, to the kitchen.

South Whidbey Academy Garden and Farm Field: The food service kitchen is 500 ft away from the garden, and the harvest totes can be walked, or transported on a cart, to the kitchen.

2. The Farm Field adjacent to the Elementary School and behind the South Whidbey Academy is large enough that it will be growing food for the entire school system. Produce from this field may be transported to the South Whidbey High School, or to Langley Middle School, by vehicle.

In the case that the harvest is transported, the harvest protocol will be as follows: Root crops will be harvested first into food-grade totes and immediately

brought under cover in a harvest shed being built specifically for this field. They will be weighed, labeled and recorded.

Leafy greens will be harvested second into food-grade totes and immediately brought under cover to the harvest shed where they will be weighed, labeled and recorded.

As soon as the leafy greens have been weighed, labeled and recorded, both the root crop totes and the leafy green totes will be immediately transported to the destined food service facility in a clean and sanitary transport vehicle.

Given the closeness of the schools to the gardens, there would be no time for refrigeration to begin to have a cooling effect before the produce was delivered, so none is necessary.

o The South Whidbey High School is ½ mile away and it takes no more than 5 minutes minutes to drive there, park and deliver produce.

o Langley Middle School is 2 miles away and it takes no more than 15 minutes to drive there, park and deliver produce.

No change.Receiving Recommendation:

Produce must be inspected at receiving. Unacceptable product must be refused. Acceptable produce must be refrigerated after receiving.Plan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Harvests will be scheduled in advance with qualified Food Service personnel.Harvest will be delivered to the Food Service by either the garden leader or by an approved substitute who is fully trained in the procedures.

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The qualified Food Service receiving person will sign the harvest delivery log, inspect the produce and verify that the produce is in acceptable condition.The qualified Food Service person will be responsible for immediately refrigerating the produce after receiving.

No change.

PRODUCE WASHINGCompass Group Requirements

Recommendation:Produce must NOT be washed at harvest. Do not hose, spray, soak or use wet towels to wipe produce. Produce washing should only take place in the school kitchen on the day of service.Only an approved anti-microbial vegetable wash, such as Victory or FIT should be used for washing garden produce. Gardens that have large amounts of produce over several months, should use Victory wash, which can be purchased and installed through Ecolab. Submit a request through the BuySmart portal to order FIT for Foodservice through your distributor as a one-time purchase. Link: www.buysmart.compassmanager.comPlan: Explain how your garden meets the recommendation. Circle at right if your garden fulfills the recommendation.

Produce will not be washed after harvest. It will be placed in a food-safe tote according to the Harvest Protocols and delivered to the Food Service. see requested change in procedure for carrots below.

On page 20 of the Chartwells Garden Guide, it is stated that produce must be used within 48 hours of harvest. However, it must also be refrigerated for 24 hours before washing and preparation. This only gives a 24 hour window of time when produce can be washed and used, and would mean that daily harvests would be needed to supply the food service on a regular basis, and there could be no garden produce on Mondays.

The current food service practice for commercially procured produce is deliveries of “warehouse fresh” produce on Mondays, and this produce can be used for 5 days until Friday. “Warehouse fresh” produce has been harvested an undetermined time before being loaded on the truck for delivery to the food service. Because of this, produce can be 1 – 2 weeks old by the time it is served to the students.

The produce from the gardens will be fresher than anything currently available from commercial produce vendors, and also has less inherent risks, as it does not have an intermediary transportation to a warehouse, storage, and transportation to a food service chain of delivery. Therefore, the following harvest and produce washing protocol for school garden produce is proposed.

Produce will be refrigerated immediately upon delivery. Produce cannot be used the same day it is delivered, and must be

refrigerated 24 hours before washing and use. see requested change below. Produce will be used within 5 days of being delivered. see requested change

below.

Change requested to have school garden produce used within 7 days of being delivered, rather than 5 days. This will help with inventory management. After 7 days, the produce quality and freshness of school garden produce will still exceed

degrees

NO N/A

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that of warehouse fresh produce.

Change requested that produce that will be cooked on the morning of delivery does not need to be refrigerated for 24 hours prior to cooking.

Change requested for carrot washing procedure to save on kitchen staff time and to prevent soil being washed into the septic system. The following carrot pre-washing procedure is proposed:

Harvest carrots from the soil and cut greens off to 2 - 3" Do preliminary outdoor wash by first rinsing soil off in clean containers, and

then rinsing again on clean screens. Put outdoor washed carrots in sanitized harvest tote. Do indoor wash in Primary School or other school kitchen sink as available. Air dry on clean paper towels and bag when dry. Label as usual, but add info

noting the persons washing the carrots, and the kitchen carrots were washed in.

Deliver in sanitized harvest tote to destination cafeteria. The washing will be done by individuals who have taken the SWSD food and

garden safety training, or who have a WA State Food Handlers License.

Carrots will be washed again by food service personnel in school cafeteria prior to preparation and serving.

Any items that were checked “NO” require follow-up in an action plan.

Garden Action Plan School District Name: Chartwells Unit Number:Action Due Completed Initials Other required action1.

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