The Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Program is a voluntary agricultural program designed to reduce the risk of contamination to fruits and vegetables by food growers and packers. Some states also have commodity-specific GAPs for certain agricultural products like blueberries, citrus, mushrooms and more.
Foodborne illnesses are bad for business because tainted food causes bad publicity and decreases consumer confidence in agricultural products overall, which harms the whole industry. Avoiding this is the driving force behind GAP.
The standards and regulations imposed as a part of GAP also aim to improve the use of natural resources, ensure the quality of produce, improve working conditions and create new market opportunities for growers and exporters alike. GAP procedures and protocols are also in keeping with other national and international regulations, which means that a strong emphasis on GAP helps avoid non-compliance issues in these areas as well.
The reason why GAP has become so widely accepted is because preventing contamination is much simpler than removing contamination after it has happened. By simply getting workers to wash their hands properly before touching fruits and vegetables, it eliminates the need to eliminate pathogens later on. This is why having a firm program in place that lays out expectations for worker sanitation when it comes to soil, water, hands and surfaces is so critical. But just following the proper procedures is not enough, documentation needs to be in place to prove that all health protocols are being followed during an inspection.
As a portable toilet supplier, our turnkey GAP solutions include ground units with sinks and trailer units with hand washing stations. We provide signage in English and Spanish, spill charts, service records and routine maintenance of the units to ensure clean operation. You do not have to worry about adapting someone else’s products to your GAP-specific uses because our portable toilets in Grand Rapids, MI are meant for agricultural GAP usage. We’re happy to serve both sides of the state – just give us a call!
Kerkstra Portable Restroom Service Inc. provides portable restroom service across Michigan for agricultural applications. Find out more about our GAP compliant solutions today!
