Advantage Good Agricultural Practices Manual

7.2 Sorting and Packaging

If food is not sorted and packaged appropriately, it can become contaminated during storage or shipping.

This Good Agricultural Practice applies to:

Farms that handle eggs, honey, grains, oilseeds, fruit or vegetables.

What needs to be done

Sort and package food to minimize damage and contamination. Make sure packaging used for food products is made of materials that will protect the safety and quality of the product.

How to do it

• Remove visible foreign material and rotten or damaged product during sorting, and discard or re-direct it where appropriate.
• For specific details surrounding the sorting of eggs, refer to 9.4 Egg Handling in this manual.
• Make sure that food is sorted on clean surfaces. Surfaces used for sorting food should be free of cracks or damages where contamination can occur.
• If hand-sorting produce that could be consumed raw, wash hands regularly or wear appropriate hand coverings. For more information, refer to 1.2 Hand Washing in this manual.
  

Choose the right material

• Packaging material and containers need to protect the product from external contamination and damage, while providing the necessary environmental conditions to maintain product quality and safety. For more information on environmental conditions, refer to 6.2 General Storage in this manual.
• When ordering packaging materials, ask your suppliers for appropriate materials or refer to:
  "Reference Listing of Accepted Construction Materials, Packaging Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products" (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
• When selling to direct markets, make sure packaging materials and containers are new and provide enough space to attach a label with adequate documentation (e.g. name and address of producer).
  

Reuse packaging with caution

When reusing packaging, make sure it is:

• Durable
• Cleaned and sanitized (refer to 5.1 Cleaning and Sanitizing in this manual)
• Stored in an area that is free from contamination and is not accessible to pests or other debris

Do not reuse packages that have contained chemicals or treated seed/feed.

Did you know?

Rotten or damaged produce (e.g. produce with broken skin, bruises or decay) can act as a source of nutrients for pathogens. As quickly as possible, separate rotten or damaged produce from saleable fresh fruit and vegetables.

If you need an audit

Be prepared for the auditor to observe that packaging materials:

• Are appropriate for the intended use
• Have the proper information on labels
• Are clean and sanitary prior to use
  
  

Laws and regulations that apply

There are few laws that directly impact on food safety regulating the sorting and handling of animals in agricultural production. However, there are laws that prohibit the sale or transport of various food items, and sorting should ensure that these items will not be sold or transported.

Under the Farm Products Grades and Sales Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F. 8 and R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 378 - Fruit and Vegetables, s. 4, no person shall pack, transport, ship, advertise, sell or offer for sale any produce, (a) unless the produce is graded, packed and marked in accordance with the Act and this Regulation and is contained in packages that comply with the Act and this Regulation; (f) that is so immature or so diseased or otherwise affected as to be unfit for human consumption; (g) in a package that is damaged, stained, soiled, warped or otherwise deteriorated so as to materially affect the soundness, appearance or wholesomeness of the produce packed therein; or (h) that has been injured by insects or that shows evidence of any foreign substance in an amount injurious to public health. The R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 384 - Honey, s. 12 requires that honey packed in consumer containers or bulk containers be packed in new, clean, sound containers of specific sizes. S. 12 (5) requires that boxes shall be well constructed of durable materials and shall be clean, in good condition and not defaced by old markings.

The Livestock and Livestock Products Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L. 20, Eggs Regulation, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 724, s. 5 (1) prohibits the sale within Ontario of eggs for human consumption except eggs graded, packed and marked in accordance with this regulation. However, s. 5 (2) allows a producer to sell eggs that are not graded, packed and marked as required, if the eggs are produced on the producer's own farm, are clean and not leaking, and are sold or offered for sale to consumers for their own consumption only on the farm premises. S. 7 provides that eggs that do not comply with the standards set out in this regulation shall be rejected and known as "rejects." S. 8 states that no person shall purchase or sell, or offer for sale, or ship or transport rejects for use as food, or in the preparation of food, for human consumption. S. 18 and s. 19 require that all cartons, cases and boxes in which eggs are packed shall be clean, sound in construction and new. S. 20 provides that the packing protect the eggs from hazards that they may reasonably be expected to encounter during handling and distribution and be manufactured from a material that will not adversely affect the eggs packed therein.

The Food and Drugs Act (Canada) 1985, R.S., c. F-27, s. 4 states that no person shall sell an article of food that has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance; is unfit for human consumption; consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance; is adulterated; or was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions. The Food and Drugs Act (Canada), 1985, R.S, c. F-27 also specifies authorized packaging materials. Packages need to have room for an appropriate label.

Proceed to 7.3 Transport Vehicles