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  • From: Robert Farr <rbfarr AT erols.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Ohio market farmer cited for washing raw produce
  • Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:23:30 -0400

For my salsa business, I'm required to pass a water test once each year.  This ensure the water is free of all contaminants, including e-coli.

Not a bad thing, really.

I'm curious if that's what this is about.  Though knowing the inspectors.............!


Robert Farr
CEO, Chief Marketing Officer & Communications Counselor
Executive TextTM - using written communications to increase sales
Visit http://www.thechileman.com for hot sauces, salsas, and more!


Road's End Farm wrote:


On Oct 29, 2009, at 1:06 PM, Marie Kamphefner wrote:


Earlier this week it was brought to our attention that a vendor in Lake County [OHIO] was cited by the local board of health for selling “washed” vegetables and greens. The local health department official was enforcing a new interpretation of food safety rules that assumed washing greens with water was “food processing” and a farmer who was not a licensed “processor” washing them was making an “adulterated” (unsafe) product.

Was he selling them as "washed ready to eat"?

Or was it just that he had rinsed them off to get the field dirt off?

It's my understanding that those are two different categories and that for "washed ready to eat" you may indeed need a food processing license, at least in New York State. If you've just washed them to get the field dirt off, but are not telling the customer it doesn't have to be washed again when they get it home, that's different. It sounds as if the inspector may have gotten carried away and confused "washed ready to eat" with "rinsed the mud off". -- at any rate, I hope it's just that inspector!

When customers ask if the produce is washed, I always say "New York State tells me that I have to tell you to wash everything! We just rinsed it quickly to get the mud/dust off. "

As far as the water goes: certified organic growers are required to use for produce wash water only sources that pass an annual potable water test. As far as I know, there's no such requirement for conventional growers; but it's not a bad idea to get one. Many people have no idea that their household or farm wells are contaminated; their own systems are used to the bacteria that's in there, so they don't get sick themselves, and assume that the water is fine.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale


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