142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

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Collaborating for safety in local food production: San Diego's culinary garden agreement

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Naomi Billups , Public Health Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Liz Pozzebon, MS, REHS , Department of Environmental Health, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Lindsey McDermid, MS , Public Health Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Dean Sidelinger, MD, MSEd , Public Health Services, County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Wilma J. Wooten, MD, MPH , Public Health Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Ensuring the safety of the food supply is an important function of local government. Food facilities regulated under the California Retail Food Code are required to obtain their food from an “approved source” as defined in sections 113735 and 114021 of the California Health and Safety Code. This regulation of food sources helps to ensure a safe food supply through a strict set of standards and practices.  Many institutions such as schools, hospitals, senior centers are developing on-site gardens that provide food for a single co-located regulated food facility (e.g., culinary gardens). Until recently there was no mechanism to “approve” this garden produce as required by law.  Under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, in partnership with Department of Environmental Health, developed a joint agreement to approve food grown on-site for use in co-located food facilities. The agreement addresses guidelines for water quality, septic systems, presence of animals and pesticides, compost, and worker sanitary practices; will help to ensure food safety in culinary gardens. In addition to requiring industry standard practices that protect public health for culinary gardens, the agreement serves as a tool to educate the food facility operators about the critical factors that play a role in preventing the biological, physical, and chemical contamination of produce.  The Culinary Garden Agreement is a critical step to improve access to local food and to create a safe and sustainable food system for the San Diego region.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Explain how a Conditional Approval of a Culinary Garden Food Source for a Regulated Food Facility ensures food safety and increases healthy food in institutional meals. Discuss the increasing need for collaboration between Public Health and Environmental Health to provide access to healthy and safe food.

Keyword(s): Policy/Policy Development, Food Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Nutrition Manager for the County of San Diego HHSA with extensive experience in planning and implementing public health programs for improving nutrition and access to healthy food options.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.