Danyluk

Association Names Danyluk Researcher of the Year

Daniel CooperAwards

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has presented University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Professor Michelle Danyluk its 2024 Researcher of the Year Award. The award was presented at FFVA’s recent annual convention in Marco Island. The honor is given to individuals who have dedicated themselves and their work to improving Florida agriculture. Danyluk works in …

Flooded Fields and Food Safety

Josh McGillFood Safety, hurricane, Tip of the Week

By Michelle Danyluk In terms of food safety, not all standing water in a field is considered floodwater. Flooding is considered the flowing or overflowing of a field from open bodies of water outside the food crop producer’s control. Events that lead to pooled water or excess standing water in a field, such as rain or a problem with an …

COVID-19 Challenges in Citrus Packinghouses

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Tip of the Week

By Michelle Danyluk and Ben Chapman Citrus packers have some unique challenges when it comes to COVID-19 management, including working in an indoor environment. It is becoming increasingly clear from recent reports of clusters of COVID-19 illnesses that being indoors and around people for prolonged periods of time are risk factors for transmission. Air flow, the limitations of physical distancing …

Physical Distancing in the Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Tip of the Week

By Michelle Danyluk and Ben Chapman While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is a food-safety concern, it certainly is a worker health concern. It spreads person-to-person through close contact (defined as within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) or by contact with contaminated surfaces. Systematically walking through the grove, packinghouse or processing plant and thinking about …

Face Coverings Essential in the Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesTip of the Week

By Michelle Danyluk and Ben Chapman COVID-19 has changed so much about how we operate. Managing COVID-19 amongst workers is extremely important. Its impacts on the health of employees can have catastrophic effects when operations are shuttered by health departments if the virus spreads out of control. This has happened in many food and agriculture sectors. There have been hundreds …

Food Safety Certification

Establishing Clean Breaks and Verification in Packinghouses

Daniel CooperFood Safety, Packing, Tip of the Week

By Clara Diekman, Taylor O’Bannon and Michelle Danyluk Many citrus packers already rely on product lot codes to aid in the traceability of their product in the case of a contamination event. These product lots can be determined in a variety of ways, including the date of harvest, field, harvest crew, etc. Regardless of the method used to assign lot …

Food Traceability Rule: Overview and Requirements

Tacy CalliesFood Safety, Regulation

By Clara Diekman and Michelle Danyluk The Food Traceability Rule (FTR) is a federal regulation that establishes recordkeeping requirements for persons who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL). The goal of this rule is to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identify and remove potentially contaminated food from the market more rapidly, …

december

Sneak Peek: December 2023 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperAcreage, HLB Management, Sneak Peek

It’s no secret that Florida’s citrus industry has seen significant shrinkage since the advent of citrus greening in the state. In the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) economist Ariel Singerman takes an in-depth look at the acreage attrition. He examines the figures by county over the past 20 years. …

Postharvest Water Requirements for Packers

Josh McGillPacking, Regulation, Tip of the Week

By Clara Diekman, Micah Gallagher, Taylor O’Bannon and Michelle Danyluk Compliance dates for all water associated with the Produce Safety Rule (PSR, Subpart E) has previously been delayed, pending completion of the rule. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in the fall of 2022 that postharvest water requirements in the PSR will be enforced on large farms beginning …

Preparing for Implementation of Agricultural Water Requirements

Josh McGillFood Safety, Water

By Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk In December 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its proposed changes to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) Subpart E, which covers agricultural water. The proposed changes focus solely on preharvest agricultural water and make no changes to the requirement of water used for harvest and …

Sneak Peek: December 2022 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Regulation, Sneak Peek

Need the latest nutrient recommendations for growing citrus in Florida? Find updates for nutrient best management practices in the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The article, by Kelly Morgan, Davie Kadyampakeni and Tripti Vashisth, details recently approved recommendations for secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. The new advice is based on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) …

Assessing the Safety of a Water Distribution System

Josh McGillIrrigation, Regulation, Tip of the Week

By Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed changes to the pre-harvest Agricultural Water (Subpart E) section of the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Removing the annual water distribution system inspection is not one of the proposed changes. Rather, water testing for generic E. coli and developing a microbial …

Produce Safety Rule Inspections: What You Need to Know

Tacy CalliesFood Safety

By Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug, Michelle Danyluk, Chelsea Peebles and Kirby Quam Produce Safety Rule (PSR) inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are continuing throughout the state as compliance dates for all farm sizes have now passed. The industry is also nearing the compliance date set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for …

Keeping Food Contact Surfaces Safe

Tacy CalliesFood Safety, Tip of the Week

By Matt Krug, Michelle Danyluk and Taylor O’Bannon Basic cleaning and sanitizing steps implemented on food contact surfaces are fundamental for reducing the risk of cross-contamination of foodborne pathogens during citrus harvest and post-harvest. While these steps may seem straightforward, several variables can influence effective implementation. A regular review of practices can ensure your operation is set up for success. …

Stay Vigilant on Handwashing and Hygiene

Tacy CalliesFood Safety, Tip of the Week

By Taylor O’Bannon, Michelle Danyluk and Matt Krug If you visited any public building or restroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have noticed an increased focus on handwashing and hygiene principles reflected in an abundance of signage on doors and in hallways. While it is great that public awareness has increased in the last 18 months, these have always …

Protect Against the COVID-19 Delta Variant

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Tip of the Week

By Ben Chapman, Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk If you would have asked us last September if there would still be a need to write a tip about COVID-19 a year later, our answer would have been, “We sure hope not.” So, what’s changed? The simplest explanation is the emergence of the Delta variant. When you hear us …

Food-Safety Concerns Sought for Produce Industry

Ernie NeffSurvey

The University of Florida (UF) and Rutgers University are teaming up to find out what food-safety issues are the biggest concerns across the produce industry. Members of the produce industry are invited to participate in an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Michelle Danyluk said the survey …

Managing COVID-19 Risks in the Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19

By Joyjit Saha, Matthew Krug and Michelle D. Danyluk The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed so much. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is primarily transmitted person-to-person, with no evidence it is transmitted by food or food packaging, including citrus and citrus products. Managing COVID-19 among workers is extremely important. COVID-19 impacts on the health of employees can have catastrophic …

UF/IFAS Collaborates on HLB Research

Ernie NeffResearch

Several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty are collaborating with other universities and organizations on research, especially for HLB. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), summarizes the work they are doing on a variety of grant-funded projects. Rogers starts with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project led by …

Proving COVID-19 Isn’t Foodborne

Ernie NeffCOVID-19, Food Safety

When the COVID-19 pandemic became news in the United States early this year, some consumers and others wondered if it might be spread by food or food packaging. Food scientist Michelle Danyluk says there is no epidemiological evidence that COVID-19 is spread that way. “But epidemiological evidence isn’t the same as hard science data,” she adds. Consequently, she and other …