LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Fresh Farms of Kilauea is the first and, so far, only Kaua‘i farm to gain food-safety certification through the state Department of Agriculture. They may be the trendsetters of what could eventually become mandatory certification which will
LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Fresh Farms of Kilauea is the first and, so far, only Kaua‘i farm to gain food-safety certification through the state Department of Agriculture.
They may be the trendsetters of what could eventually become mandatory certification which will eventually lead to a “system of trace-ability of produce” that will allow government agencies to track suspect produce from the consumer’s table back to the point of purchase back to the farm where it was grown, said Sherwood Conant, state Department of Agriculture commodities marketing specialist in quality control.
“Food safety is a hot topic right now,” said Conant, indicating that tainted food has led to federal action that may lead to federal and state laws mandating farms pass food-safety certifications.
Markeeta Smith, business manager at Kaua‘i Fresh Farms, said Safeway and Costco already require suppliers to have at least what is known as third-party audit certification, which Conant is learning how to provide with the state Department of Agriculture.
Kaua‘i Fresh Farms doesn’t currently sell to either chain supermarket, but would like to, Smith said.
“We are really glad that after months of hard work and time-consuming practices and paperwork, the certification came through,” said Karen Tang, assistant to Kaua‘i Fresh Farms owner William Porter.
“We are marketing that a lot at the (Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau) Fair this weekend, giving out stickers about our food certification, putting it on banners and display boards,” Tang said in an e-mail, noting that the farm is also a main sponsor of the Ag Exhibition Tent.
“It’s a big deal because, apparently, in the next few years, the USDA (may) require that all retailers only buy from food-certified facilities,” she said. “The process is a large headache to go through, as it requires lots of record-keeping, resources, money, and a lot of time that many farmers simply won’t go through with, so it will be interesting to see what happens if indeed they pass that law.”
At Kaua‘i Fresh Farms, three managers worked full-time for three weeks to get certification, which covers areas like cleanliness, food handling, hand-washing, packaging, agricultural practices, and even clothing of workers, Smith said.
“It’s just forward-thinking,” said Smith of the certification process, which she also described as “rigorous” and “intense.”
“It’s something that had to be done,” and without coaching from an expert from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, even Kaua‘i Fresh Farms would have found the process “too intense for us,” Smith said.
That expert is James R. Hollyer, project manager of the Agricultural Development in the American Pacific Project through the UH-Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
Through the CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension Service, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau Federation and state Department of Agriculture, free coaching and auditing services are available to local farmers.
Albert Louie and Conant are currently shadowing each other in providing the audits, and eventually Conant will be the one conducting the audits on Kaua‘i, he said.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Conant said in a telephone interview. “We’re trying to get farmers interested in it.”
That part of the task might be made easier by the fact that federal funds are available to assist in the process, he said.
The audit process also educates the farmer about food safety, organization, inventory control, costs, and other areas that many farmers don’t always have the time or desire to be involved with, said Conant, a former farmer who is close to getting back into the industry.
State certification costs much less than certification offered through private companies like Primus Labs, Conant said.
Smith said Hollyer walked staff at Kaua‘i Fresh Farms through the auditing process, letting them know what kinds of conditions and practices would pass audit muster, and which would not.
“Farmers are going to have to be dedicated to do it, and it’s going to cost them some money,” said Smith, interviewed at the Kaua‘i Fresh Farms booth at the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair on the grounds of Vidinha Stadium. “But it will make them money in the long run.”
The record-keeping provisions will make farmers more aware of what they’re selling, and the entire audit process will enable them to learn the best ways for themselves and employees to handle food, said Smith.
That will lead to increased consumer confidence about produce ending up on their dinner tables, she said.
Kaua‘i Fresh Farms offers hydroponic Japanese cucumber, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, mesclun greens, salad mix, full-head lettuce, cilantro and, by late September, watercress and yellow pear tomatoes.
For more information on the state certification program, call Conant at 274-3069.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com.
