Handley, Hutchinson speak with BDN about Food Safety Modernization Act session

David Handley, a vegetables and small fruits specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension; and Mark Hutchinson, a UMaine Extension educator and professor, spoke with the Bangor Daily News about an upcoming informational session for producers and growers. Clearing up some of the confusion surrounding the Food Safety Modernization Act is the aim of the program being held at 6 p.m. April 6 at the Knox-Lincoln Cooperative Extension Office in Waldoboro. The session is sponsored by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District. The Food Safety Modernization Act was passed in 2011 with the goal of reducing the risk of food contamination outbreaks. While the legislation called for food growers to follow farming practices that would lessen this risk of contamination, it took time after the legislation was passed to devise specific protocols that growers have to follow, according to Handley, who will lead the session. “I’ve had multiple questions about, ‘What is the Food Safety Modernization Act going to mean to me as a farmer?’” Hutchinson said. According to Handley, the majority of Maine farms will likely be exempt from the new rules, since the legislation primarily targets large produce growers who are selling produce across many state lines. However, Handley urges that any growers within the state familiarize themselves with the guidelines.