Food & You Information Series Presented By: Paula Tait and Neelam Parmar

Outline  Good Agricultural Practices Workshop  GAP Self Audit and Declaration  MarketSafe Course  FoodSafe Course  SlaughterSafe Course  Small Water Systems Drinking Water Course/ Workshop

Good Agricultural Practices

BC Good Agricultural Practices Guide is intended to assist producers to implement food safety practices at the farm. GAP workshop hosted by Ministry of Agriculture & Lands.

Good Agricultural Practices General Farm Worker Policies Farm Buildings and Access Equipment Water Cleaning and Sanitizing Farm Inputs Shipping Crops Livestock and Poultry Training and Support Tools

Good Agricultural Practices Self Audit and Declaration

GAP Self Audit & Declaration Self Audit & Declaration Valid from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012 Please read the following and check off the boxes that apply.  I have completed the worksheet, “What applies to my Farm?”, and have identified risks at the farm level.  I have submitted a water sample to Northern Health to confirm the potability of water used for cleaning and sanitizing, and for fruit and vegetable production (washing, cooling, ice making).  I have addressed the following items, and will follow the Good Agricultural Practices outlined in the BC GAP Guide (where applicable) for each topic to ensure that adequate farm and food safety practices are implemented:

GAP Self Audit & Declaration

MarketSafe

A food safety training program for farmers and producers who make, bake or grow products to sell at local farmers’ markets.

Topics covered:  Roles and Responsibilities of Market Managers, Market Vendors, Health Authorities and Customers.  Causes of Foodborne Illness Lower risk vs. higher risk foods  Food Safety from Gate to Plate Storing, packaging and labelling of foods Transporting food to the Market Sampling food

FoodSafe

The FoodSafe Program is a comprehensive food safety training program designed for the food service industry. Course covers important food safety and worker safety information including foodborne illness, receiving and storing food, preparing food, serving food, cleaning and sanitizing. More Info:

Class D & E Slaughter Facilities and the Slaughter Safe Course

Classes of Licences:

D & E Licences CLASS D Only available in 9 designated areas Slaughter up to 25 animal units Retail and direct consumer sales Slaughter of own and others’ animals Sales restricted to regional district in which the meat was produced Limited processing CLASS E Available across province – Freely available in 10 designated areas – Restricted issuance in 18 non- designated areas Slaughter up to 10 animal units Direct consumer sales only Slaughter of own animals only Sales restricted to regional district in which the meat was produced Limited processing

Abattoir Profiles Ministry Website: a/protect/meat-regulation /abattoir-profiles.html Provides information about the slaughter services that are currently offered by provincially licensed Class A, B and C slaughter facilities in BC.

The application process explained…

What is included in the Slaughter Safe Course? 1. What is Slaughter safe? Do I belong here? We do not teach how to slaughter, we teach how to incorporate food safety concepts into slaughter 2. Graduated Licenses: – A, B, C (transitional), D & E – Applications 3. Slaughter Safe -Writing your SOP manual or Food Safety Plan 4. Site Assessment – Site visit to local farm – What to expect

Food Safety - Hygiene - Pest Control - Sanitizing Equipment & Work Surfaces - Meat Storage & Handling - Preventing Chemical & Physical Hazards Keeping Track - Labeling - Record Keeping - Product Recall Plan Animal Welfare - Humane Slaughter under BC’s Class D & E Licences Animal Waste Management Management of Specified Risk Material - What tissues are considered SRM? - Handling of SRM - Age Determination - On-Farm SRM Disposal - Transporting SRM Tagging Topics Covered…

For more information… North West: – – Smithers Office North Interior – Prince George Office – – Quesnel Office North East – To be announced! (call Paula or Lynnette)

Northern Health’s new Small Water Operator’s Course

Why take a safe water course? Water quality can fluctuate with the weather, and other activities in the watershed, both human and natural. Users of untreated water can be exposed to pathogens long before sampling shows any indication of a problem with a water supply. It’s important to continually evaluate the quality of the water source and the water treatment processes to ensure high-quality, safe drinking water for everyone (and for every purpose).

What do EHOs do? Drinking water officers provide surveillance and monitoring of drinking water systems that may affect the public's health. They also administer and enforce the Drinking Water Protection Act, the Drinking Water Protection Regulation and the Health Act, and provide interventions to minimize health and safety hazards.Health Act

Safe Water Course Content… Module 1: Introduction (Legislation & Responsibilities, Managing Drinking Water Systems in BC, What is a Water Supply System?, What is a Domestic Water System?, What is Required to Operate a Water Supply System?, Components of a Water System, Water System Reliability Considerations, Why Should Safe Water be Provided?, Common Illnesses from Water) Module 2: Water Sources (Types of Water Sources, Advantages and Disadvantages, Protecting our Drinking Water, Preventing Contamination, Well Construction, Water Testing: Chemical & Bacteriological) Module 3: Treatment (Why Do We Treat Water?, Drinking Water Guidelines, Aesthetic vs Health Risk, Things to Consider When Selecting a Water Treatment System, NH’s Treatment Objectives, NSF Certification, The Multi- Barrier Approach, Pre-Treatment, Filtration, Disinfection, Point of Use & Point of Entry Treatment Systems)

Course Content Continued… Module 4: Water Distribution Systems (What is a Water Distribution System?, What is the Public Health Significance?, Common Design Practices, Distribution System Integrity, Distribution System Monitoring Parameters, Distribution System Design, Storage) Module 5: Operations (Cross Connections, Emergency Response Plan, Boil Water Notice, Water Distribution Duties, Water Treatment Plant Operator Duties, Preventive Maintenance, Flushing the Distribution System, Documentation, Water Schematic/Drawings, Annual Reports, Sustainability) Module 6: Bulk Water Hauling (Permits, Water Sources, Water Tank & Associated Equipment, Control of Contamination, Security, Emergency Control Plans & Documentation, Bacteriological Water Sampling)

Thank You for Your Time! Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information: – Prince George Public Health Protection Office Please see our sign up sheets if you would like to participate in our spring Food Information Series Workshop!