“Establishing a Food Safety and Quality Assurance Program for Small-Scale Farmers and Cooperatives in Mississippi”

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance Project begin in August of 2000 with the general objective to develop and implement a food safety and quality assurance program for small-scale farmers and cooperatives in the state of Mississippi. Within the University’s extension and outreach network, there are six hundred (600) farmers and fifteen (15) cooperatives, divided into six (6) clusters in thirty-five (35) counties in Mississippi. These will be trained using interactive workshops, field days, farm demonstrations, seminars, and conferences to implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements.

The initial targeted beneficiaries and agribusiness entities selected for the pilot test and this project overall are as follows:

• Indian Springs Farmers Association (Southwest Mississippi)
• Beat IV Cooperative and Farmers Market (Northeastern Mississippi)
• Mileston Cooperative (West Central Mississippi)
• Sweet Potato Growers Cooperative (Northwest Mississippi)
• North Bolivar Vegetable Growers Cooperative (Northwest Mississippi)
• Golden Pig Cooperative (South Central Mississippi)
• Southern State Meat Goat Cooperative (Central Mississippi)
• Mississippi Rabbit Meat Cooperative (Central Mississippi)
• Producers Production Processing Marketing Cooperative (Southwest Mississippi)

1. To identify critical points for possible sources of foodborne contaminants on the farms, in packing houses and pre-processing livestock facilities
2. To use material identifies to demonstrate to farmers, packing house operators and livestock handlers how to reduce the risk of product contamination on the farms, in packing houses and pre-processing, livestock holding facilities, and in event of a problem, to develop rapid response “traceback systems”
3. To use HACCP material developed to design a Mississippi Delta regional growers specific “good agricultural practices – (GAP)” manual to be incorporated in the University curriculum and to serve as a guidance document for growers, packing houses operators, and livestock handlers.