SAUGUS — A Saugus farm was among 21 to receive a combined $300,000 in funding from the state to improve food safety.
Little Brook Farm and Garden, a garden center on Lincoln Avenue, received $25,000 for a washing and packing facility from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Agricultural Food Safety Improvement program.
The competitive grant program allows agricultural operations to complete food safety upgrades on their farms, enabling the operations to meet buyer demands, increase consumption of local food and protect public health by reducing food safety risks.
“A goal of our department is to help keep the Massachusetts food supply safe and secure,” said Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux in a statement. “Assisting farmers through both grants and technical assistance help modernize their operations, open new market channels, and meet regulatory requirements for both the good of the farmers and for consumers. We are committed to the goal of ensuring food safety from farm to table.”
This program focuses on assisting produce operations as they work toward upgrading on-farm infrastructure and equipment to meet regulatory requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), third party audit requirements required by buyers, and general farm food safety improvements to minimize food safety risks from harvest to market.
“As the demand for locally grown food continues to grow, farmers have an increasing need to improve their operations to meet marketplace demands and safety requirements,” Baker said in a statement. “Our administration is proud to continue supporting Massachusetts agriculture by helping produce farmers proactively implement upgrades to ensure that food safety risks are managed, marketplace needs are addressed, and their businesses continue to grow.”
