Do you garden, grow, or sell fresh produce? This workshop has benefits for all producers, retailers and wholesalers in supermarkets, Farmers' Markets, or for business owners in service industries. In particular, the GAPs workshop will equip producers with the knowledge to put together a written food safety plan. By becoming food safety compliant, producers will stay competitive in the specialty produce business.

"The workshop presents strategies for controlling potential contamination before planting and throughout all phases of planting, production, harvesting and postharvest handling" said University of Illinois Extension Cook County local food systems and small farm educator Ellen Phillips.

Phillips said the workshop will be useful to fruit and vegetable growers, farmers' market vendors, and for non-profit organizations that grow food. When the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) becomes operative, GAPs training will be even more important for those who market fresh produce.

Workshop Topics Include:

- What is GAPs and what are the produce safety impacts

- Water quality & testing

- Soil management/manure management

- Worker health & hygiene

- Post harvest produce handling

- Writing a Food Safety Plan

- Auditing farms for GAPs/food safety

Registration at 8:30am and the program begins at 9:00 am. The program concludes at 4:00pm. Box lunch is included.

Pre-Registration is required either online at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=10040 or call Cook County Extension at 708-449-4320
Fee includes lunch, handouts and GAPs manual: $15 per person

DATE/ TIME: Tuesday, April 15

LOCATION: Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave., Chicago IL 60608

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact Cook County Extension at 708-449-4320