Local Food Systems

June is Farm Audit Month

GAP Audits

I saw lots of lovely fresh food while in Lancaster Co PA. Photo by Dani California on Unsplash

I spent June auditing Amish farmers in Lancaster Co PA. I am checking that they are following the standards for the Harmonized GAP audit for food safety.

Most of the farms I visited are organic certified and are members of the Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op.  This makes auditing on my end much easier as LFF provides farmers with a lot of support.

I stay on a farm when I am auditing. Image by CDavies.

I really enjoyed puttering around Lancaster Co visiting the farms. Most grow a few acres of produce. From what I remember, the largest had 20 acres of produce. Some farmers grow two or three crops and some grow more than ten on their few acres.

The diversity of what was grown and the innovations tried and tested by the farmers were fascinating. Many of the less usual produce were unfamiliar to me beyond reading about them in cookbooks. It was a bit embarrassing to realize that I haven’t tried some of what they were growing including dandelion leaves, salsify and celeriac. 

Dandelion Leaves aren’t like the wild dandelions in our gardens. Photo by Christine Siracusa on Unsplash

Local Food Systems

This is one way that I support local food systems, which are essential if we want to have a resilient sustainable food system. Farm audits are a lovely break from supporting my specialty food manufacturers as that is mostly computer-based work.

If you have a specialty food business and food safety questions, book a free consultation today. I am always happy to talk to other people who love food. 

About Cathy

Your author. Image by Lucia Vinti

I write about the intersection of food science and food systems with an emphasis on food safety, food justice and resilience. My food safety consultancy, Food Safety Mid Atlantic, supports specialty food businesses with their food safety plans and programs. 

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