VVBGA Community Accreditation for Produce Safety (CAPS) is a voluntary program that helps farmers adopt best practices for produce safety, and recognizes them for doing so. CAPS is a program of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers’ Association (VVBGA) with operation coordinated by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension. CAPS uses an online platform combined with intensive technical support to help small and medium-scale farmers meet market expectations and comply with the intent of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR).

Project Planning for Postharvest Efficiency, Profitability & Food Safety (Free 8-Part Packshed Webinar)

Guidance on Wash Water Discharge from Vegetable Pack Sheds (PDF) –This UVM fact sheet provides advice on system design for Vermont farms.

A Small Farmer’s Practical Guide to Food Safety: This guidebook is designed to help growers with the basics to improve food safety on their farm. It provides training agendas, template standard operating procedures, options for wildlife management, washing station ideas and more. Published by the National Young Farmers’ Coalition in 2020.

Improving Handwashing:  Hand washing stations provide a portable means of washing hands on farms, at farmers’ markets, and at recreational sites. This guide was motivated by a desire to improve current handwashing station practice with a focus on minimizing or even removing all contact between the user’s hands and surfaces of the station.

Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse is an online clearinghouse of curated and crowd-sourced resources related to the produce safety rules under the federal Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). The goal of the Clearinghouse is to connect food safety people, projects, and publications across the nation through a verified process so that regulators, educators, technical service providers, growers and processors can access trusted food safety related information.

Fruits, Vegetables and Food Safety: Health and Hygiene on the Farm: This 15-minute video from the National GAPS Program at Cornell University offers guidance to farm workers on proper hand washing and toilet use, with emphasis on how their health affects the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Available in English, Spanish, Creole, Hmong.

UVM Extension Food Safety Training for Food Processors program: UVM Extension partners with many agencies and institutions such as the Vermont Department of Health, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Alliance, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Better Process Control Schools Network, to offer training and certification for food processors.