Penn State course to cover apple packinghouse food safety practices

Penn State Extension is offering a new online course, “Keeping Apples Safe in the Packinghouse,” which provides resources on commercial food processing best practices, regulations and related topics.

The topic of food safety in apple packing houses came to the forefront in 2014 when a multistate Listeria outbreak was traced to fresh apples. Thirty-five people across 12 states were infected and seven of them died.

The outbreak, initially thought to be caused by caramel apples, was found to be caused by whole fresh apples from a packing and processing plant owned by Bidart Bros. of Bakersfield, CA. Investigators ultimately decided that Listeria on the outside of the apples had been drug into the fruit when sticks were inserted into caramel apples.

Environmental sampling discovered two strains of Listeria monocytogenes inside the apple processing plant, which were matched to apples collected from retailers.

The Penn State Extension course is designed for apple packinghouse operators looking to provide food safety training to employees. This digital curriculum covers essential practices and procedures to ensure product safety, according to an announcement from the university.

The course includes 21 videos recorded in commercial packing facilities, addressing topics such as microbial, chemical and physical hazards that can cause foodborne illness or injury, potential contamination routes, sanitation and personal hygiene best practices and guidelines for record-keeping. Videos and discussion questions are available in both English and Spanish.

Apple packinghouse operators can stream and use these videos alongside their company’s training materials and facilitate discussion using the provided questions.

Through the course, employees will learn how to:

• Understand the importance of food safety and the potential negative impacts of a food safety incident.
• Identify how microorganisms can spread throughout the packinghouse and implement strategies to minimize cross-contamination.
• Demonstrate good personal hygiene practices.
• Apply basic sanitation concepts to meet the goals of the company’s sanitation program.
• Implement best practices for documentation and record-keeping.

The registration fee is $300. More information is available on the Penn State Extension website.