I'm pleased to be able to attend today representing horticulture and on-farm food safety for the fresh fruit and vegetable growers of Ontario. I am Brenda Lammens, the chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association, which represents 7,500 producers of fresh fruit and vegetables. I am also the chair of the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board.
My husband and I have been growing asparagus in Norfolk County in southern Ontario for 24 years, which hopefully qualifies me to speak today from the producer's perspective about a program we've been involved in since the late 1990s.
The Canadian Horticultural Council has developed and administers the on-farm food safety program we subscribe to, with the focus on minimizing the risk of contamination to produce grown in Canada. The OFFS program that CHC has developed must complete a review by the Canadian Federal Inspection Agency, and many commodities have completed that review already, such as greenhouse, tree and vine fruit, potatoes, and small fruit, but a few are still waiting for the review process to be completed. For example, asparagus is expected to be reviewed in June, along with sweet corn, legumes, bulb and root, fruiting vegetable, and leafy vegetable.
The review by CFIA brings credibility to our programs, and we trust that the Canadian government will continue to actively promote this program nationally as well as internationally as our marketplace expands. The Canadian Horticultural Council, in preparation for that global expansion, has recently trademarked this program as CanadaGap.
Even though our commodity, asparagus, is still awaiting review, we are fully implementing the program on our farms in order to meet the requirements of our customers and provide a service to the Canadian consumer at no cost to them.
I would like to walk you through what happens on our farm on a daily basis during our harvest so you can understand exactly the steps we take. I don't mean to be too simplistic, but I don't think a lot of people really understand the actual steps that are taken with on-farm food safety, the completeness of that program, and the commitment we as farmers have made to protect our customers and our farms.
We've integrated our OFFS program with our current facilities, and have been attempting upgrades and remodelling as finances allow. These are increased costs to the farmer that in all likelihood would not be realized in the marketplace, but Canadian producers are doing an honourable job. It would be greatly appreciated if the federal government would consider assistance to help Canadian producers implement and sustain the on-farm food safety program and the upgrades that are needed on Canadian farms.
On our farm, the day starts with the cutters heading out to the field, equipped with not only knives for harvesting but hand sanitizers, as standard requirements of each asparagus rider machine. The fields they're cutting in have port-a-potties with wash stations located for their convenience around the field. Each employee undergoes a training session before they start working on our farm, which includes a video and emphasis on proper hand-washing procedures.
The field containers in which they place the harvested product are washed before they go to the field, and again before they are returned to the field after being emptied at the pack shed. The product is delivered to the pack shed and washed with clean water to remove any soil and then placed in a hydro cooler with clean water for further washing and cooling. The hydro cooler water is delivered by a licensed water service from our local municipality and undergoes regular testing at point of pickup and in our pack shed, as part of our program. All sources of water in our operation undergo testing before and during the season. The chlorine levels of the water are monitored on a daily basis to maintain required levels and balanced PH and temperature. These levels are predetermined and outlined in our manuals.
Samples of product are taken by our food safety service providers at three different points in our grading and packing system for testing for signs of bacterial contamination, and at random times throughout the season.
The asparagus is then run down a grading belt, which is washed down at the end of every day in preparation for the next day. Again, it is staffed by employees who have undergone the same training as previously mentioned. The asparagus is graded into different diameters and grades and packed accordingly before it's stored in cold storage. The employees wear acceptable food-grade gloves and have hand sanitizers available at all positions.
If illness occurs with respect to an employee, it is recorded and suitable steps are taken to ensure that they do not return until fully recovered. Our manuals, which we maintain as a regular part of our daily activities, cover all aspects of our operation, and there are thousands of these manuals in place in farms across Ontario and Canada.
You will get a copy of the compendium of the forms that we do have to complete on our farm, and at that time you'll see exactly what detail is covered. It's everything from cleaning and maintenance of the building, all of our agricultural chemicals, agronomic inputs, maintenance and calibre of our sprayers. We have to record training sessions. Visitors have to be signed in, pest monitoring for the buildings, all our water treatment controls, water temperature, the transportation of the product to the marketplace, harvesting and storing, packing, and any corrections or deviation actions that are taken are recorded. When you do get copies of these documents you can see what is expected. It's adapted to all of the commodities that are covered by the Canadian Horticultural Council programs. It is quite detailed. We do take great efforts to monitor all these things, and those are the forms that are in our manual.
Signage is placed strategically around our facility with respect to hand washing, illness, and denied access to certain areas. We also complete a check-off sheet at the beginning and end of every day, as self-discipline and accountability for our program. As producers, we can request a review of our on-farm food safety program, to assess how well we are doing and where areas of improvement might be recommended. Also, a requirement of the CHC program is that we are subject to a complete audit of our program every four years by a certified auditor at a cost to the producer. This certification component of our program became available in the fall of 2008 and provides more credibility to our efforts.
Many of our operations have become more sophisticated, with more emphasis on innovative packaging and adding value to the products that we produce. This, as well, brings many challenges to the safe handling and storage of the end product. For example, fresh-cut leafy vegetables are becoming a very popular product, and fresh-cut vegetables.
Many questions have yet to be answered with respect to the changes in handling of fresh produce, and investment again is needed to advance studies in this area.
It's very timely that today we are investigating the food safety practices of Canadian producers and processors, when swine flu is creating a very anxious population. It also exemplifies the absolute need for recognition of a very conscious effort on the part of Canadian producers by implementing on their farms food safety at no extra cost to the Canadian consumer. I can speak for Ontario producers today and tell you that we're doing a great job on our farms, considering the financial restraints we are operating within, but we recognize that if we wish to remain competitive in our marketplace, we have to implement on-farm food safety.
I also wish to stress that more research needs to be completed with respect to fresh production and food safety issues. The steps we are taking on our farms need to be recognized by government and society. We are in the stages of developing our traceability program, which is the next step to complete the full on-farm food safety programs. Some commodities are in more advanced stages of development, but it is on the agenda of all commodities. Many of our sales are direct to our customers, but the span of deliveries is ever-changing, so the need is obvious.
I trust that I have been able to provide you with a simple snapshot of what is happening on farms in Canada, and particularly in Ontario, and at the same time impress upon you the importance of what we are implementing with respect to on-farm food safety in the bigger picture.
I would be pleased to answer any questions and provide any material you may need to better understand the program we are implementing.
Thank you very much.