Food & Farm Safety
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
The University of Idaho has updated the previously available Potato USDA GAP Audit Organizational Material. The U of I manual is designed to simplify the collection of information necessary to pass the USDA GAP audit. Included are helpful hints, adaptable standard operating procedures (SOP), examples of policies, documentation and records to use, employee health and hygiene policies in English and Spanish, description of a mock recall drill and other resource information. In September 2019 the USDA replaced and updated their Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) Audit Verification checklist. The updated U of I GAP audit organizational manual incorporated these changes into the newest version and this manual can be used in preparing for the current GAP audit.
Minimizing Foreign Material
Foreign material is any material that is not the potato tuber. It is "trash" or "garbage" in potatoes. Many foreign materials originate in the field, but others enter the product stream through equipment and during storage and handling. Whether potatoes are destined for the fresh market or processing, foreign material is a great concern to the Idaho potato industry.
Remove Foreign Materials poster: Download and print poster (16" x 24”) that provides examples of common foreign material found in potato production. Display the poster in areas to educate employees and as a reminder to remove foreign material.