Food & You Information Series
Presented By: Paula Tait and Neelam Parmar
Outline
 Good
Agricultural Practices Workshop
 GAP Self Audit and Declaration
 MarketSafe Course
 FoodSafe Course
 SlaughterSafe Course
 Small Water Systems Drinking Water
Course/ Workshop
Good Agricultural Practices
Good Agricultural Practices
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BC Good Agricultural Practices Guide is
intended to assist producers to implement
food safety practices at the farm.
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GAP workshop hosted by
Ministry of Agriculture & Lands.
Good Agricultural Practices
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General Farm
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Worker Policies
Farm Buildings and Access
Equipment
Water
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Farm Inputs
Shipping
Crops
Livestock and Poultry
Training and Support Tools
Good Agricultural Practices
Self Audit and Declaration
GAP Self Audit & Declaration
Self Audit & Declaration
Valid from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012
Please read the following and check off the boxes that apply.
 I have completed the worksheet, “What applies to my
Farm?”, and have identified risks at the farm level.
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I have submitted a water sample to Northern Health to
confirm the potability of water used for cleaning and
sanitizing, and for fruit and vegetable production
(washing, cooling, ice making).
I have addressed the following items, and will follow the
Good Agricultural Practices outlined in the BC GAP Guide
(where applicable) for each topic to ensure that adequate
farm and food safety practices are implemented:
GAP Self Audit & Declaration
MarketSafe
MarketSafe
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A food safety training program for farmers
and producers who make, bake or grow
products to sell at local farmers’ markets.
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Topics covered:
Roles and Responsibilities of Market Managers,
Market Vendors, Health Authorities and
Customers.
 Causes of Foodborne Illness
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Lower risk vs. higher risk foods
Food Safety from Gate to Plate
Storing, packaging and labelling of foods
 Transporting food to the Market
 Sampling food
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FoodSafe
FoodSafe
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The FoodSafe Program is a
comprehensive food safety training
program designed for the food service
industry.
Course covers important food safety and
worker safety information including
foodborne illness, receiving and storing
food, preparing food, serving food,
cleaning and sanitizing.
More Info: www.foodsafe.ca
Class D & E Slaughter Facilities
and the Slaughter Safe Course
Classes of Licences:
D & E Licences
CLASS D
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Only available in 9
designated areas
Slaughter up to 25
animal units
Retail and direct
consumer sales
Slaughter of own and
others’ animals
Sales restricted to
regional district in which
the meat was produced
Limited processing
CLASS E
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Available across province
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Freely available in 10
designated areas
Restricted issuance in 18 nondesignated areas
Slaughter up to 10 animal
units
Direct consumer sales only
Slaughter of own animals
only
Sales restricted to regional
district in which the meat
was produced
Limited processing
Abattoir Profiles
Ministry Website:
http://www.health.gov.bc.c
a/protect/meat-regulation
/abattoir-profiles.html
Provides information
about the slaughter
services that are
currently offered by
provincially licensed
Class A, B and C
slaughter facilities in
BC.
The
application
process
explained…
What is included in the Slaughter
Safe Course?
What is Slaughter safe?
1.
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Do I belong here?
We do not teach how to slaughter, we teach how to
incorporate food safety concepts into slaughter
Graduated Licenses:
2.
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A, B, C (transitional), D & E
Applications
Slaughter Safe -Writing your SOP manual
or Food Safety Plan
Site Assessment
3.
4.
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Site visit to local farm
What to expect
Topics
Covered…
Food Safety
Hygiene
Pest Control
Sanitizing Equipment & Work Surfaces
Meat Storage & Handling
Preventing Chemical & Physical Hazards
Keeping Track
Labeling
Record Keeping
Product Recall Plan
Animal Welfare
Humane Slaughter under BC’s Class D & E Licences
Animal Waste Management
Management of Specified Risk Material
What tissues are considered SRM?
Handling of SRM
Age Determination
On-Farm SRM Disposal
Transporting SRM
Tagging
For more information…
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North West:
Shane.Wadden@northernhealth.ca
250-847-6400 – Smithers Office
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North Interior
Paula.Tait@northernhealth.ca
250-565-2150 - Prince George Office
– Lynnette.Winsor@northernhealth.ca
250-983-6810 – Quesnel Office
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North East
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To be announced! (call Paula or Lynnette)
Northern Health’s new Small Water
Operator’s Course
Why take a safe water course?
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Water quality can fluctuate with the weather, and other
activities in the watershed, both human and natural.
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Users of untreated water can be exposed to
pathogens long before sampling shows any
indication of a problem with a water supply.
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It’s important to continually evaluate the
quality of the water source and the water
treatment processes to ensure high-quality,
safe drinking water for everyone (and for
every purpose).
What do EHOs do?
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Drinking water officers provide
surveillance and monitoring of drinking
water systems that may affect the public's
health. They also administer and enforce
the Drinking Water Protection Act, the
Drinking Water Protection Regulation and
the Health Act, and provide interventions
to minimize health and safety hazards.
Safe Water Course Content…
Module 1: Introduction
(Legislation & Responsibilities, Managing Drinking Water Systems in BC, What
is a Water Supply System?, What is a Domestic Water System?, What is
Required to Operate a Water Supply System?, Components of a Water System,
Water System Reliability Considerations, Why Should Safe Water be Provided?,
Common Illnesses from Water)
Module 2: Water Sources
(Types of Water Sources, Advantages and Disadvantages, Protecting
our Drinking Water, Preventing Contamination, Well Construction,
Water Testing: Chemical & Bacteriological)
Module 3: Treatment
(Why Do We Treat Water?, Drinking Water Guidelines, Aesthetic vs
Health Risk, Things to Consider When Selecting a Water Treatment
System, NH’s Treatment Objectives, NSF Certification, The MultiBarrier Approach, Pre-Treatment, Filtration, Disinfection, Point of
Use & Point of Entry Treatment Systems)
Course Content Continued…
Module 4: Water Distribution Systems
(What is a Water Distribution System?, What
is the Public Health Significance?, Common
Design Practices, Distribution System Integrity,
Distribution System Monitoring Parameters,
Distribution System Design, Storage)
Module 5: Operations
(Cross Connections, Emergency Response Plan, Boil Water Notice,
Water Distribution Duties, Water Treatment Plant Operator Duties,
Preventive Maintenance, Flushing the Distribution System,
Documentation, Water Schematic/Drawings, Annual Reports,
Sustainability)
Module 6: Bulk Water Hauling
(Permits, Water Sources, Water Tank & Associated Equipment,
Control of Contamination, Security, Emergency Control Plans &
Documentation, Bacteriological Water Sampling)
Thank You for Your Time!
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Please do not hesitate to contact us for
more information:
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Prince George Public Health Protection Office
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250-565-2150
Please see our sign up sheets if you would
like to participate in our spring Food
Information Series Workshop!