Making the Most of Farm to School Produce:Safe Purchasing, Storage, Handling & Preservation Practices

Food Safety/Preservation Workshop

Farm to Community Conference| 5.2.14

About The Food Trust

“Ensuring everyone has access to affordable,

nutritious food and the information to make healthy

decisions”

Farm to School Program

The Food Trust serves as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Lead Agency for the National Farm to School Network.

What is Farm to School?

Benefits of farm to school purchasing Fresh, nutritious food that students enjoy Longer shelf life Farmers WIN Kids WIN Communities WIN

Why Farm to School?

TransparencyTraceabilityAttribution

Pillars of Good Suppliers

Purchasing Directly from Local Farmers

• GAP certification, while not mandatory, ensures minimal food safety risks

• VISIT the farm if possible • ASK questions about food safety

Are food grade packaging materials used and stored away from possible

contaminants?

Is water tested and are records

on file?

Purchasing from Wholesalers

• Ask distributors about food safety plans

• Ask distributors about local food and request it

• Food service directors can write food safety requirements into bids

StorageWashing

PrepPreservation/Season Extension

Making the Most

Storage

Back to front of a walk-in cooler:

Highly perishable & needs cold temperatures:• Greens, herbs, crucifers/brassicas

Somewhat perishable & needs cold temperatures:• Root vegetables, tree fruit

Highly perishable & needs cool temperatures:• Cucurbits, some nightshade crops (eggplant,

peppers)

Storage

• Kept around 65 degrees: tomatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash

• Kept cool & dry: onions, garlic

• Produce should be stored in ventilated bags, containers

• Store things like greens with moist towel to retain moisture

Washing

• Scrub, wash before preparation

• Scrub, wash before storage if necessary (sometimes the case with local products)

Prep

• Knife skills

• TRIM waste

• NFSMI

Preservation/Season Extension

• Opportunity to capture summer’s bounty

• Educational opportunities for students

• Preservation can be very low-maintenance or more involved, depending on equipment & capacity

• USDA equipment grants

Preservation/Season Extension

• School District of Philadelphia• USDA Farm to School grant for food

preservation• Collards• Blueberries• Possibly investing in flash freezers

Preservation/West Virginia

• Tucker County, West Virginia• Specialty Crop Block Grant• Freezing green beans and other fresh produce• Value-Added Products

Resources

• Project PA: www.projectpa.org • Penn State Extension: www.extension.psu.edu • National Farm to School Network:

www.farmtoschool.org• National Food Service Management Institute

(NFSMI): www.nfsmi.org • Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

(SARE): www.sare.org • USDA FNS• Local experts• Other schools

Thank You!Kelsey Porter

kporter@thefoodtrust.org