Minnesota school districts and farmers help improve the health and education of Minnesota school children. These tools and resources will help ensure healthy and safe foods are available in cafeterias across the state.
Good Agricultural Practices
Extension's On-Farm GAPs education program provides education, outreach and technical support to fruit and vegetable growers through Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) workshops and mock audits. It also provides research, communication, and collaboration opportunities to help promote information-sharing regarding GAPs and farm safety.
Talk with your produce farmer about food safety
Many institutions and businesses purchase produce directly from nearby farmers. We've created a list of questions about on-farm food safety practices that food service workers can ask farmers when considering buying fresh fruits and vegetables directly from a farm.
Learn more about food safety when buying local produce
Our short survey is followed by a video that is helpful for buyers at schools, hospitals and other institutions.
The video:
- Shows on-farm practices that growers should use to keep their produce safe.
- Includes information on GAP audits, food safety plans and the Produce Safety Rule.
- Demonstrates how to talk with local growers about food safety before purchasing.
Food safety for school gardens
The Food Safety for School Gardens manual can help school garden coordinators understand how to reduce food safety risks in school gardens. After reading the manual you can use our templates to create a food safety plan that will help you assess your garden and take actions that will improve food safety.
Related resources
MISA Publications Catalog, Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture — Three publications in this catalog are of special interest:
- Local Food Fact Sheet Series includes the "Selling Minnesota" fact sheets written for Minnesota farmers and links to four related fact sheets from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
- Pack Shed Rules: Harvest Crew Handbook will help you understand post-harvest handling concepts such as food safety and the 4 W’s: Workers, Waste, Water and Wildlife.
- Harvest-to-Sale Vegetable Handling helps growers understand how to get produce from the field to the point of sale at the highest quality.
Legal Issues Impacting Farm-to-School and School Garden Programs in Minnesota (PDF), Public Health Law Center at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, provides an overview of the key legal issues involved in farm-to-school and school garden programs in Minnesota.
New Farmers, United States Department of Agriculture, is an online portal that provides assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers. The portal includes links to training, financing, technical assistance, and other support services.
Reviewed in 2023