COMMUNITY HARVEST FOOD SAFETY FIRST CONCERN

There have been over 1300 peanut product recalls issued in the last two weeks by the Food & Drug Administration related to illnesses caused by Salmonella Typhimurium from contaminated peanut products from the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Georgia. Those recalls have area food industry professionals busy… including Community Harvest Food Bank.

Community Harvest takes pride in its role as a safe and reliable food source for its member agencies and direct service clients in northeast Indiana. By maintaining very high safety standards for all of the food it collects stores and distributes, Community Harvest ensures that the food it provides to hungry people in northeast Indiana is of the highest quality possible. “There is a perception that because we are a charity we receive and distribute substandard food and follow less ridged food handling procedures. However, we are bound by and adhere to the same safety standards as any food company,” said Jane Avery, Community Harvest Executive Director. “The Indiana State Board of Health requires that food establishments have at least one ServSafe certified food handler, but we require every single employee that handles food to be ServSafe certified. That’s at least half of the staff. Our core values state that we will honor the dignity of the food we distribute and those we distribute it to.”
Supervisor Amie Burton is responsible for monitoring and disseminating all recall information to Community Harvest staff to ensure that any recalled food that comes through the food bank is disposed of properly and that their nearly 500 member agencies are warned and educated on the precise way the recalled items are to be handled. “Keeping the food safe and the people we serve safe is paramount,” said Burton. “Just because we serve people who are in a difficult situation and need assistance doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get the safest food possible. So, we go above and beyond. It is a source of pride for us and we take that very seriously.” Community Harvest Food Bank represents the partnership of food donors, member agencies, volunteers, private and public donors of funds dedicated to hunger relief. For more information, visit www.chfb.org <www.chfb.org&gt; and www.FDA.gov <www.FDA.gov&gt; .