Southwest Michigan Food Safety Conference 2016

Earlier this month Kalamazoo Valley Community College hosted the first annual Southwest Michigan Food Safety Conference for local produce growers and food operators in partnership with Partnering with Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Services and the Kalamazoo County Health  and Community Services.

Phil Tocco (MSU-E) introduced the conference with a discussion on different types of food contamination

The goal of the conference was to help develop food safety literacy among growers, connect growers with subject matter experts in the area of food safety, and facilitate a culture of food safety among small-to midsized producers. With topics focused on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) the conference highlighted the new produce safety rules, regulations, and compliance details. Growers were also introduced to an innovative food safety certification model called Group GAP, which can help mitigate the documentation and financial burden on small diversified farms by sharing resources and risk among a group of growers.

L to R: Vivien McCurdy (KVCC), Phil Tocco (MSU-E), Michelle Walk (MSU-E), Tim Slawinski (MDARD), Natasha Lantz (U.P. Food Exchange & Marquette Food Co-op)

Local produce buyers and retailers such as Bronson Methodist Hospital's Executive Chef Jason McClellan learned more about food safety at the farm level and what is required to get food safely from the field to fork.

It’s really great to see what Farmers are already doing in regards to safety. As a buyer you have no idea what preventive measures are already in place. From soil samples to water samples to slogans like “Don’t pick when you’re sick”, it makes buyers want to invest in the safe handling of food even more!       -Jason McClellan, Executive Chef

Two of the conference sessions were recorded and are available here:

• FSMA Preparation - Appropriate Solutions for Small Scale Farms and Food Operators with speakers Tim Slawinski, and Phil Tocco
• Food Safety Manuals & SOPs – the importance of documentation for Good Agricultural Practices(GAP) and Group GAP with speakers Michelle Walk, and Natasha Lantz

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is committed to addressing the importance of food safety by taking a leadership role in food safety training as well as initiating outreach to growers and food operators within our regional food system. We look forward to finding more ways to connect with our local food system in support of a stronger and healthier culture of safe food in Southwest Michigan and beyond!