ABCs of GAPs

by Shari L. Plimpton, Ph.D.

Food ManufacturingThe other day I paid a visit to a farm to work with a couple of growers on their Food Safety Program. These two gentlemen had attended the OFVGFS workshop and were indeed aware of the latest food safety information offered by the USDA, FSIS, FDA, CFSAN, CDC, National GAPs Program, OSCFS initiative, MAAHS, CIFT/EISC, and OSU’s ABE Center. These men had listened carefully as we discussed GAPs, GHPs, SOPs, and SSOPs, as well as, GMPs, CFRs, HACCP, pH, ORP, UV and the ABC’s. In the daily course of running their operation, they also were aware of labor, health and safety requirements from the FD&C Act, NRCS, CREES, U.S. EPA, and OSHA. Sure, they were informed and making a voluntary effort to bring their operation in line with buyer expectations. They were preparing for a third party audit. They just couldn’t understand what the heck I was talking about.

In my role as a Food Safety Educator, I focus on GAPs, GHPs, GMPs, SOPs, SSOP’s, CFRs, QA, QC and HAACP daily,so it becomes a habit for me to throw these letters around as if they were words used in everyday conversations. I am consistently aware of the time limits all of us face as we struggle to make a living in this world, so I tend to err on the side of speaking in shorthand to speed things along. Unfortunately, people start to feel confused and overwhelmed, silently wondering why I’m showering them with bowls of alphabet soup.

And yet, no one likes to waste time, least of all growers; so I thought it might be helpful if I made a list of these acronyms along with their definitions. Many of these acronyms (i.e. GMPs and HACCP) apply only if you are processing fruit and/or vegetables. A lot of them you already know, yet there may be a few that slipped by too quickly to remember, so here they are:

ABCs
You know… the alphabet song! For those who haven’t heard, this is what you want to teach your workers to sing (silently is ok) while they wash hands to assure that they have scrubbed for twenty seconds and effectively removed microorganisms.

ABE Center
Agriculture Business Enhancement Center. Where you will find Mary Donnell, the Ohio Collaborator for the Good Agricultural Practices Project and Education Coordinator for the Ohio Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative.

CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who work to track and overcome diseases. If we do our part, maybe we can hear a little less from them.

CFRs
Code of Federal Regulations. These are the regulations that apply to processed foods.

CIFT
Center for Innovative Food Technology. Where I, a Food Safety Educator, work.

CFSAN
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. A division of the FDA.

CREES
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Services. A division of the USDA.

FDA
Food and Drug Administration. The agency that is charged with implementing the FD&C Act.

FD&C Act
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The law from which certain food regulations have been developed.

FSIS
Food Safety Inspection Service. As most know this is part of USDA.

GAPs
Good Agricultural Practices. Recommended (not regulated) agricultural practices developed to help growers maintain a safe operation.

GHPs
Good Handling Practices. Recommended (not regulated) handling practices developed to maintain safety and sanitation of fruit and vegetables during storage and transportation.

GMPs
Good Manufacturing Practices. A set of regulations that define the practices a manufacturer of food products must follow.

HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Crititcal Control Points. A program used by food processors to detect and control potential hazards in food manufacturing.

MAAHS
Mid American Ag and Hort Services. Where you can leave a message for Shari L. Plimpton to indicate interest in the Ohio Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative and for assistance on labor issues.

NRCS
Natural Resources Conservation Service (Used to be SCS – Soil Conservation Service). This is another division of USDA.

OFVGFS
Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Food Safety Workshop. A program some of you attended back in March to learn all about this stuff.

ORP
Oxygen Reduction Potential. A measurement that indicates whether a water sanitation method (i.e. copper ionization) is working properly.

OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSCFS
Ohio Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative. The program that is providing us with the resources to teach about GAPs, and GHPs, as well as, help growers prepare Food Safety Programs.

OSU
You’re breaking my heart! Certainly you know TBDTITL!

pH
pH. It’s a measurement of how much free acid is present in food or water.

QA
Quality Assurance. The way you make sure you're selling at a certain quality level.

QI
Quality Improvement. What we all are striving for; some of us simply in life.

SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures. A step by step description of how you do things.

SSOPs
Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures. A step by step description of how you clean things.

UV
Ultra Violet. A type of light that can be used for water treatment amongst other things.

U.S. EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency. The people who set the standards for water quality.



Consultation for GAPs, developing food safety programs, and passing third party audits is available through CIFT. You can reach us by calling Shari L. Plimpton at 614-314-4627 or emailing us at foodsafety@eisc.org.



CIFT, 5555 Airport Highway, Ste 100, Toledo, Ohio 43615-7320
419.535.6000      877.668.3472  (toll-free)
419.531.8412 (fax)
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