Starting From Scratch

Although I recently retired after a career in food safety management and consulting, it has not, so far, resulted in a departure from the world of food safety. Instead, I am providing consultation on a variety of issues—some relating directly to operations in which I was previously involved and others in areas that are quite different.

One of the “quite different” consulting gigs, the subject of this article, came about through a contact with Dana Anderson, Ph.D, the majority owner and primary instigator of Living Greens Farm in Faribault, Minn., which is, apparently, the first serious attempt to build and operate a commercial-scale aeroponics growing operation. Other members of the Living Greens Farm board of directors with whom I would work are Phillip Brooks, owner of H. Brooks & Company; Lawford Baxter, Ph.D., owner of Cut Fruit Express, both well known in the Twin Cities produce arena; and Lance Crombie, Ph.D., a microbiologist with a penchant for invention. Crombie’s presence on the board and high level of involvement with the project would turn out to be a very valuable asset.

A Two-Minute Definition. If you are not particularly familiar with the theory and practice of aeroponics growing (as I myself was not), here is the “two-minute” introduction. Hydroponics is probably familiar, at least in concept, to most readers. Aeroponics goes a step further by developing a system that supports both the plant and the roots but does not immerse the roots in water. Obviously the roots must be kept wet but, as I soon learned, optimal growth is achieved not by continuous immersion in water but by sufficient wetting with a nutrient-bearing water mist coupled with much more extensive exposure to oxygen than is possible with total immersion, as is done in hydroponic growing systems.

A quick Google search provided a background of serious research done over the last several years on the theory and practice of aeroponics. There is no doubt that the theory of additional availability of oxygen, in the form of atmospheric exposure, results in significantly enhanced plant growth. The trick is maintaining adequate moisture properly distributed in the root zone.

There are a number of small aeroponics systems demonstrated, and some for sale, on various Internet sites. The trick to all of them, and the magic of the much larger Living Greens Farm system, is to include in the “adequate moisture” part of the equation sufficient amounts of properly balanced nutrients. As the adequate moisture must be provided in a mist of micron-size droplets and the nutrients are not all freely soluble in water, there is a serious engineering issue, both chemical and mechanical, to establishing even a small-scale aeroponics system with additional problems for a commercial-scale operation.

At the time I became involved with the farm, the chemical and mechanical engineering systems had mostly been solved and application had been made for several patents. The project was nearing operational status with the intent to sell significant amounts of micro-greens type products into the local market, but the board of directors was aware that to do so, they would need assurance that their production system was capable of and would produce products that were safe to eat. At this point, I was asked if I would be interested in working with the group as a consultant to develop a food safety system appropriate for their project.

As no one who was involved with the day-to-day operations of the project (except Crombie) had a significant understanding of the basic parameters of food safety in a production environment, I had something of a blank sheet of paper on which to start building a program.

In some ways it was a challenge—the building, originally a large concrete-walled warehouse, was not particularly designed for food production; the managers and employees were not familiar with many of the basics underlying commercial food safety—so everything would be done from scratch. But in other ways, it was an opportunity, as there would be minimal bad habits and incorrect concepts to overcome.

Developing the Program. Following my first visit to the Living Greens Farm facility, I presented Anderson with a list of very basic issues related to the building. The most serious issues were extensive spaces between structural components of the building. Especially in the corners, these spaces would be nearly impossible to properly clean and, in the moist environment of an aeroponics growing room, would likely become havens for assorted bacteria, molds, and/or fungi.

Floor/wall junctions were another area of concern as none were sealed, and in several places, there was an unacceptably large gap between floor and wall. Anderson was in full agreement with my assessment of the building and promptly engaged a contractor to remedy the identified problems.

At the time of my initial visit, two rather different aeroponics growing systems were operating, both of which were experimental, not those planned for eventual commercial use. The problem was that we really couldn’t write up final operational methods, especially cleaning and sanitizing between batches, until the final commercial configuration was on hand. This same general issue was found in the harvesting area where most of the equipment was on hand but had not been placed in final operating positions around which cleaning and sanitation SOPs could be developed. As of this writing, much of the final design equipment is in house though not yet set up so it won’t require a great deal of time to finalize cleaning and sanitizing procedures for both growing and harvesting areas once the final configurations are set.

A second area in which I worked with the farm was personnel practices. I presented them with the pros and cons of hairnets, gloves, boots, and other outer wear as well as the advisability of several “hands-free” hand-washing stations situated appropriately within the facility. We also discussed possible product flow routes through the building, while keeping in mind the desirability of a linear pattern with no “crossover” points where more complete product is exposed to less complete product. We then focused an all-staff weekly update meeting on discussion of food safety fundamentals, HACCP as a concept, and the basics of risk analysis. This will become the foundation for a formal risk analysis—the first step in development of a HACCP-type program to complement our underlying prerequisite programs.

The next step focused on development of a microbiological test program to include environmental monitoring. For this, Crombie is working closely with a well-known and respected local laboratory to ensure a sound microbiological safety system. As a starting point, we intend to look at aeroponic-grown produce as a raw agricultural product similar to field-grown baby spinach or spring mix-type lettuce products. Obviously we will not have the outdoor issues of wildlife incursion or flood waters, however, we will face issues associated with a relatively warm, moist atmosphere environment without significant UV radiation as exists outdoors.

It is not clear exactly where the risk/balance point lies between aeroponic-based indoor, hydroponic, and conventional outdoor growing systems. This is an area we will have to monitor closely during initial operations until we understand the risk, of both type and magnitude, and differences between the three systems.

Early in our discussions, I also discussed the need for a pest control program. After outlining some of the pros and cons of an internal versus external (contract) program, Anderson elected to contract with a well-known pest control company. Within two weeks, the company had surveyed the building and its surroundings, placed appropriate traps and associated markers, and delivered the required documents.

Conclusion. These are just a sampling of the abundant questions and decisions that Living Greens Farm has dealt with and will have to deal with in the future. It has been, and will likely continue to be, an interesting and challenging project, one I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in. As a consultant, and hence not in the chain of command, I strive to present multiple points of view and possible solutions for problems, but I also try not to be overly directional in the decision-making. Instead, my purpose is to educate the group for which I am consulting, then let them make the decisions based on options we have discussed—rather than looking for me to decide.

As a consultant I see a major part of my job is to work myself out of a job. After all, I have made my down payment on a fly fishing trip to southern Chile. I can’t help them much from there.