GRAS2P Education Part 2

GRAPS2P Education Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The Washington State Horticultural Association is trying to get tree fruit producers throughout the state ready for audits according to Nicole Brunner with WSHA.

BRUNNER: So when growers come to me and they say well why should we go with GRAS2P, basically my answer is we have a uniform guidance document that will help lower the audit costs because we have at this point 450 growers, all going through the GRAS2P manual that help in turn in the end will lower the audit costs

The companies that do the audits know this is a uniform program and that helps them negotiate a better price.

BRUNNER: Also through the hort, we are a non-profit. We are able to access specialty crop block grant crop funds to help defray the costs of printing these manuals. We were able to create training videos and with that we have have been putting on training for GRAS2P pre-auditors.

Through the block grant money they were able to do the required pre-audits. In addition they have a training video available.

BRUNNER: It’s called the Worker Orientation and Food Safety DVD. This is basically a food safety DVD and it covers like your hygiene policies, garbage and waste, bulletin board postings, first aid and illness, hand washing, your potable drinking water, animals and pests, containers, spills,injuries, ladder safety.

These materials and more are available through the Hort Association office.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.