Resources
North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership:
Food Safety & More (Food and Farmers Series)
Produce GAPs Harmonized Food Safety Standard
Aquaponics Good Agricultural Practices Guidance
GoFarm Hawaii AgBusiness Program
The GoFarm Hawaii Ag Business Team helps new and existing agribusinesses. For more information call (808) 956-3530 or visit their website.
GoFarm Resources for Farmers & Value Added-Producers (PDF)
Free assistance to farmers and ranchers needing help in building their business (PDF)
Water Sampling & Testing Cheat Sheet
Food Safety Tips & Resources
September is National Food Safety Month!
We want to make staying healthy & enjoying great locally-grown food even easier…
North Shore EVP has joined with Hawai’i businesses & organizations to share resources & tips to do just that!
Tip #1 is a Restaurant Food Safety Tip Brought to You by Haleiwa Joe’s Restaurant!
We all enjoy a meal out, especially when it’s at a restaurant that sources local food! Thanks to our partner Haleiwa Joe’s, we can bring you some information on how the restaurant industry works to ensure your safety when you eat out.
Many of the same practices that you employ in your home kitchen are used in restaurant kitchens to ensure food is handled safely and properly. Restaurants differ though in a few respects, notably that there’s a team of people responsible for preparing your meal and cleaning up after. This means that everyone on the team must be on the same page in providing the highest quality service and remember to follow the rules, through a long day of work and multiple rounds of dishes, cooking, and cleaning.
In addition to washing hands often and always after using the restroom, and keeping foods properly separated and chilled, employees must do a few things that you may not do at home.
Restaurant employees wear hair coverings and remove jewelry to be sure hair doesn’t fall into food and germs aren’t transferred from jewelry to guests’ food. Food service workers who have symptoms of illness or are sick should never handle food or be anywhere near the kitchen. Illnesses like the flu are easily passed from person to person and via contaminated surfaces, so it is important for sick employees to stay home and for cleaning and sanitizing to be done regularly.
Restaurants use a lot of sponges, paper towels, and rags. Single use items are easy to dispose of but sponges and rags should be used minimally as they can harbor bacteria. Sponges should be tossed out every few days and rags should be washed and sanitized daily.
Restaurant employees often wear disposable gloves, this is required in some states. Gloves are used to protect the food from employees’ hands, and it is important for food preparation that involves direct contact, like making a sandwich.
For more information on Hale’iwa Joe’s & their locations, check out their website.
Tip #2 is a Food Safety Tip for Your Home: Strategies for a Cleaner Kitchen!
Cooking at home is relaxing for some people and a great way to be sure you are adding locally grown food into your diet. There are many farmers’ markets and CSA (community supported agriculture) programs to choose from where you can select locally-grown fruits and vegetables for home (North Shore EVP is working to bring a regional food hub to Oahu’s North Shore community).
To be sure you are food safe in your kitchen, see how many of these tips you are already following and which ones you can incorporate into your routine!
- Always wash your hands with soap and water before handling produce, meat, or any other foods.
- Cutting or peeling produce? Wash it first! Soil and germs can be spread from the outside of the produce to the inside with your knife or peeler.
- Separate your produce, meat, eggs, and fish! Use different cutting boards, plates, and utensils. Color coded cutting boards are a great way to differentiate what’s for what!
- Refrigerator temperature should be between 40F and 32F. Freezer temperature should be at 0F or below. To keep your stored foods safe, always thaw meat in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, away from everything else. Plastic bags are a good way to contain blood and juices. Clean and disinfect your refrigerator shelves and drawers regularly.
- Beware of using your personal electronic devices in the kitchen! A 2016 study of data collected by the Food Safety Survey found that of the over 4,000 adults contacted, only about 1/3 reported washing their hands after they touched their device and before they continued cooking! People use various devices while cooking to research, use recipes, and listen to music or podcasts, and pathogens may be present on these devices. Commonly found pathogens on cell phones are Staphylococcus and Klebsiella (causes different types of infections including pneumonia).
Tip #3 is a Home Garden Food Safety Strategy from Kokua Hawai’i Foundation
Do you grow your own food at home, or want to? Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation’s ʻĀINA in Schools program is a farm to school initiative that connects children to their local land, waters, and food to grow a healthier Hawaiʻi. Whether you have keiki at home or not, you can grow herbs and leafy vegetables easily in pots or in a small garden.
Gardens are enjoyable for many reasons, providing a place to get back to nature, teach keiki about plants and animals, bringing beautiful flowers and veggies into your personal space, and for the sustenance that growing your own food provides. Here are some tips from Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation to practice safe gardening at school or at home!
To be as safe in the garden and kitchen as possible, we offer these tips about best practices for food safety in the garden.
- Organic soil fertilizers like compost should always be purchased from reputable locations to make sure they aren’t carrying harmful bacteria. Composted manure is certified to have heated up to the point where pathogens are killed. Aged manure is certified to have sat long enough for pathogenic bacteria to be outcompeted. Other organic fertilizers may have been sterilized to prevent exposure to disease causing bacteria to both our vegetables and ourselves. If you are going to make compost yourself you can decrease the chance of contaminating your pile by only composting food scraps, ensuring it heats to 130 degrees for at least 10 days, turning it regularly, and letting it age for two months after finishing.
- Grow your vegetables with the cleanest water possible. If catchment water is used to water plants in the growing process, try to make sure that it does not contact the edible portion of your crops.
- Animals should be kept out of the garden as much as possible as their droppings easily contaminate produce. House pets should be kept away from growing beds and any produce touching bird or gecko droppings should be discarded.
- Harvest and eat the healthiest plants that you can–these also are the most nutritious!
- Wash your hands before harvesting produce you intend to eat raw.
- Clean and sanitize tools in both your kitchen and garden, especially if you are using them to help turn unfinished compost!
- Thoroughly wash and inspect your garden produce under running potable water.
- Wait to wash your vegetables until you are ready to eat them. Cleaning produce removes some barriers plants use to defend themselves. Washed produce goes bad much more quickly in storage compared to produce that has only had dirt and soil removed!
To download a Resource Guide on School Garden & Food Safety, visit Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation’s website. We encourage you to explore their other ʻĀINA In Schools resource guides, which include tips on how to build raised garden beds, compost with bokashi, create a worm composting bin, build a compost sifter, and more.
Tip #4 is a Farmers’ Market & Grocery Store Tip
Whether buying food at the grocery store or at the farmers’ market, it is always good practice to wash your produce before you prepare or eat it.
Residues and Germs on Produce: How to Minimize Exposure
- Produce may have pesticide residue on it when you purchase it, even if it is grown organically (certain pesticides are available and approved for use in organic growing systems). Pesticides may include applications made at the farm level to control insects or fungus, but may also come from the processing steps before the produce gets to the consumer.
- Produce may have bacteria on it from handling during harvest or transport. Farms that employ Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) have policies in place to minimize this contamination and are regularly audited for compliance.
- To minimize your exposure to residue or bacteria, utilize the following strategies in your kitchen:
- Clean your hands with soap and water first, and clean your surfaces and utensils too.
- Rinse produce in fresh running water, and use a brush to help remove soil from thick skinned or bumpy products.
- A new study (University of Massachusetts Amherst) found that using baking soda in tap water (about one teaspoon per 2 cups water) and soaking the product (apples) for 12-15 minutes was more effective at removing pesticide residues than the typical bleach and water solution. However, it must be noted that the purpose of the bleach and water solution is to remove bacteria, not pesticide residue.
- To reduce the chance of bacterial contamination on your produce, a vinegar rinse (1/2 cup vinegar in 1 cup water) followed by a fresh water rinse has been shown to be effective.
Below we've tried to cover questions that we are often asked. If you do not see an answer to your question below, please contact us via our contact form and one of our staff will respond as soon as possible.
What is Group GAP?
USDA GroupGAP is a food safety audit program that allows a group of producers to attain GAP certification together. North Shore EVP implemented a Group Good Agricultural Practices (GroupGAP) food safety training and certification program in 2017.
How does GroupGAP work?
Through GroupGAP, our staff works with operations in both group and individual settings to identify risks, develop operation specific food safety plans, and put food safety training into practice.
Each year, all operations within the group receive two internal audits conducted by North Shore EVP staff; a subset of farms in the group will also receive a third party USDA audit. Over time all operations in the group receive a third party USDA audit.
Since initiating Hawaiʻi GroupGAP in 2017, we have grown our program locally and merged with GroupGAP farms and food hubs across 7 states. This approach enlarges the total number of farms in the group, connecting our food safety team and Hawaiʻi farmers to more technical assistance and guidance from food safety experts and practitioners across the nation.
Isn’t food safety certification difficult?
By standardizing the on-farm food safety training and documentation process our GroupGAP program builds a network of farms that share safety and quality standards. Through our training program we assist operations with record keeping, risk assessments, implementation of food safety practices, and document management. Our food safety team regularly networks with USDA and food safety professionals across the country to share best practices.This approach makes it easier than ever for your farm to become food safety certified
Is the organization just for Hawaiʻi?
Our GroupGAP training program is focused on serving farmers and aggregators across the state of Hawaiʻi. We work collaboratively with food safety professionals across the country to lower costs, enhance our knowledge and foster new opportunities for training and development.
What's the difference between GAP, Harmonized GAP, and Harmonized GAP+?
GAP (Good Agricultural Practices), Harmonized GAP (HGAP), and Harmonized GAP+ (HGAP+) are food safety and sustainability standards for farming, each with increasing levels of rigor. GAP provides general principles for safe and sustainable farming, focusing on worker hygiene, water use, and chemical handling. HGAP streamlines these standards into a unified framework aligned with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). HGAP+ builds on this by incorporating stricter requirements to meet Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards, making it ideal for international trade and export. The choice depends on market needs, with HGAP suited for local markets and Harmonized GAP+ essential for nationwide retailers and global trade. Our GroupGAP program assists farmers with HGAP and HGAP+ training and certification.
I’m new to farm food safety! What records should I start with?
Congratulations on starting your farm’s food safety program! Keeping a few basic records is a great way to begin. Some simple records to start with include: restroom cleaning logs, cleaning and sanitizing logs, harvest logs, pesticide applications, and fertilizer applications.
How should I keep my food safety records?
There are several record keeping systems an operation can use. Traditional paper records stored in binders or file cabinets are difficult to organize and keep clean while working on site. Digital record keeping on Excel or Google Docs is a good alternative to paper records. Our GroupGAP program strongly recommends using or transitioning to the digital record keeping system HeavyConnect.
How much does it cost for a small farmer to become and stay food safety certified?
Generally, food safety certification costs can vary depending on an operation’s infrastructure, level of organization, preparedness, and length of audit. The Hawaiʻi GroupGAP program cost is a flat fee, assessed annually. It is currently heavily subsidized due to successful grant proposals and philanthropic donors. Our research indicates that the GroupGAP program is the best approach to keeping food safety certification costs as low as possible. While the cost may rise slightly over time, we are committed to making GroupGAP affordable for Hawaiʻi farmers. In our program, Hawaii farmers receive technical assistance, training, and audit support each year as part of the annual flat fee.
How long is the HGAP/+ training and certification process?
For operations participating in our program the process may take anywhere from 6-12 months or more. Certification is achieved more quickly when the operation is organized, keeps records consistently, and engages in regular communication with staff to meet USDA requirements. Maintaining HGAP/+ certified status is a continual process of adhering to a farm food safety plan, completing records, and passing annual internal and external audits.
How long does a farmer have to stay in the GroupGAP program?
USDA food safety certification is renewed annually with a passing audit and maintenance of required records and documentation. An operation can remain in the group for as long as they wish to maintain their certification and take advantage of the benefits of GroupGAP. Operations with ongoing food safety lapses can be removed from the group.
Will your organization help with water quality issues?
North Shore EVP is committed to the success of our participating operations and will work with them to address any water quality issues that may arise. We encourage water quality testing for all farms, and assist GroupGAP members with determining frequency of testing and developing mitigation practices when necessary.
How can food safety certification help me?
North Shore EVP wants to help you access new markets. Food safety certification qualifies you to sell to commercial and institutional markets with third party audit requirements. Additionally, you may choose to continue selling to other markets such as CSAs or farmersʻ markets. Food safety certification allows you to choose from a variety of markets to sell in rather than being restricted to those with few or unclear quality and safety requirements.
Does North Shore EVP provide information to operations on what buyers are looking for?
Our food safety team has developed relationships with local buyers to facilitate new market access for growers. Our team is able to share information about what buyers are looking for and what they require (such as food safety certification and insurance), we also work to connect member operations to local buyers seeking certified products.
What is a food hub and how does one work?
A food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand. Food hubs purchase produce from local growers and fulfill high volume contracts with some buyers such as hotels and hospitals. A food hub with food safety certification will be able to supply both commercial and institutional markets, including schools.
How does the North Shore EVP business model compare with other food safety training models for producers and aggregators?
Our model is unique in Hawaiʻi although it is already a successful model in other areas of the country. As a non-profit organization our commitment is to empower farmers and communities across Hawaiʻi. Our food safety training and certification program, with producer and community support, can work to open new markets for operations, increase local food production, and create new jobs in agriculture across the State.
What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)?
Signed into law in 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act is the most comprehensive U.S. food safety regulation overhaul since the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. The law is intended to establish minimum standards for food safety practices and accompanying guidance to help keep the food supply safe. FSMA shifts the focus to proactively identifying hazards and preventing contamination rather than just responding to it. Rules and guidance were drafted by the governing authority, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with input from other government agencies, industry and the public.
What does FSMA cover?
FSMA covers the entire supply chain, including food defense and transportation, through seven (7) rules. Growing operations are most affected by the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) which includes standards on how fresh produce is grown and handled. FSMA covers the processing and manufacturing of food for human or animal consumption.
What kinds of businesses are affected by FSMA?
A business is likely to be affected by FSMA if it raises livestock, grows produce, processes, transports, or distributes food for human or animal consumption.
How do I know if my farm or business has to comply with FSMA?
If you operate a business that grows, handles, packs, processes, manufactures, or transports food, you may have to comply with FSMA. Exemptions exist for certain sized businesses (with documentation), and for some products that are not covered by the Produce Safety Rule. It is best to contact your local Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension agent, or food safety consultants to ask if you need to comply with FSMA and how to do so.
Engaging with Hawaiʻi GroupGAP and attaining USDA HGAP/+ food safety certification will help prepare a producer for a FSMA inspection, because the compliance requirements are aligned.
Do you offer training in languages other than English?
As of 2025, we have GroupGAP training materials available in Mandarin and Thai. Please contact us if you need an interpreter or would like to suggest translation into another language.