Phillip Tocco
Jackson County Extension Office
Food safety educator
Phil Tocco has served as Extension educator in Jackson County with Michigan State University for over 14 years. He serves as an educator in food safety on the farm for fruit and vegetable farmers statewide. He has functioned as the state coordinator in on-farm food safety since 2009. He currently serves with several other educators, State Departments of Agriculture and FDA to implement and train assessors on the On-Farm Readiness Review, a tool to help growers determine their level of readiness for FSMA inspection.
Phil has a Masters Degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management from the University of California-Davis and Bachelors Degree in Biology from Western Michigan University. He has training in field crop, vegetable and fruit production, with some experience in all three. He lives with his wife and three children in Jackson.
Authored Articles
- Master sanitation schedules: A tool to effective cleaning and sanitizing, May 27, 2020
- Find the right water testing lab for Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule compliance, April 14, 2020
- Farm biosecurity basics: Keeping employees healthy, March 26, 2020
- COVID-19 and food safety: Common questions from fruit and vegetable growers, March 20, 2020
- Risks posed by cats on produce farms, March 16, 2020
- Why should I worry about clean breaks and lot sizes?, February 24, 2020
- Factors to consider when purchasing used produce processing equipment, January 28, 2020
- Consider the risks associated with animal intrusion in fields before harvest, November 4, 2019
- Blueberry pick bucket food safety practices on your farm, July 29, 2019
- The next step to FSMA compliance: On-Farm Readiness Review, May 15, 2019
- Industry-specific produce safety guidelines, May 1, 2019
- Deadline for commenting on draft guidance on Produce Safety Rule approaches, April 18, 2019
- Water system mapping for food safety, February 20, 2019
- Water system food safety inspections, February 11, 2019
- Don’t wait for the water to clear regarding FSMA water testing requirements, February 1, 2019
- Worker training recordkeeping under FSMA Produce Safety Rule, December 7, 2018
- Farmers growing produce commonly eaten raw will be contacting water testing labs about new rule, November 7, 2018
- Laws about pesticides: Residues, November 2, 2018
- Avoiding food safety issues with frost-free hydrants, August 21, 2018
- What is considered a farm under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule?, June 18, 2018
- The $25,000 question: Am I covered under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule?, May 22, 2018
- Why you should worry about clean breaks and lot sizes, May 22, 2018
- Finer points of cleaning and sanitizing fruit and vegetable contact surfaces, April 10, 2018
- Process exemptions within the Food Safety and Modernization Act, February 28, 2018
- Compost recordkeeping: What do I really need to have?, February 28, 2018
- Some food hubs are not qualified end users under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, October 9, 2017
- Storing and applying compost under the Produce Safety Rule, August 9, 2017
- Factors to consider when purchasing used produce-processing equipment, May 30, 2017
- Practical pointers around submitting water samples for food safety, May 10, 2017
- Compost use and FSMA compliance: What does FDA mean by compost?, May 3, 2017
- On-farm food safety documentation: How much is enough?, May 3, 2017
- Turbidity in post-harvest wash water: Monitor and change when needed, March 16, 2017
- The difference between audits and inspections, March 16, 2017
- Having the right grower training for FSMA compliance, October 13, 2016
- Post-harvest wash water management for shelf life and food safety, August 8, 2016
- Is GroupGAP an option for your farm?, August 8, 2016
- Using Google Docs to create digital records, June 6, 2016
- First aid kits prevent produce contamination, June 6, 2016
- Do you have a plan to reduce risks from wildlife in your produce fields?, May 11, 2016
- Annual septic system inspections help ensure a passing food safety audit, May 11, 2016
- Ask the right questions before choosing a water testing lab for food safety, March 29, 2016
- Agricultural water versus indirect water, March 29, 2016
- Water sampling for Food Safety Modernization Act compliance, February 10, 2016
- Vegetable selection makes a difference in heavy metal accumulation, February 10, 2016
- Food Safety Modernization Act exempt farms still have work to do, January 19, 2016
- Revised Food Safety Modernization Act exemptions, January 19, 2016
- Jump start food safety on your fresh produce farm with Safe Food-A-Syst, July 2, 2015
- A simple method to reducing biological contamination in irrigation water, June 4, 2015
- FSMA compliance does not guarantee passage of a GAP audit, June 4, 2015
- Considerations before buying a food safety digital recordkeeping system, May 4, 2015
- Urban farming food safety issues, May 4, 2015
- Going with the “process” flow of fresh produce, April 7, 2015
- Best features for a food safety digital recordkeeping, April 6, 2015
- Risks posed by volunteers and visitors on produce farms, April 6, 2015
- Dealing with irrigated crops and food safety, March 4, 2015
- The down and dirty on manure and food safety, March 4, 2015
- Your feedback on Food Safety Modernization Act impact needed, February 5, 2015
- Property damage to fruit and vegetable production, February 2, 2015
- Proposed revised sampling protocol for FSMA compliance, October 31, 2014
- Proposed revised irrigation water standards for FSMA, October 31, 2014
- Food Safety Modernization Act proposed revisions to produce rule made public, October 3, 2014
- Constructively commenting on revised Food Safety Modernization Act rule, October 3, 2014
- Evaluating water sources to ensure safe fresh produce, August 28, 2014
- How long do I keep all this food safety paperwork?, August 27, 2014
- Food Code may bring changes to farmer’s markets, July 29, 2014
- Best practices for food safety when handling greens, July 29, 2014
- Livestock and fair food shouldn’t mix: Tips to keep you healthy at the fair, June 17, 2014
- FSMA compliant worker training: Doing it right every time, May 5, 2014
- Where does worrying about food safety in fresh produce end for the grower?, May 5, 2014
- FSMA and GAP are not the same, April 18, 2014
- Food safety when growing melons on your farm, March 14, 2014
- Proposed irrigation water standards, February 28, 2014
- Fine points of water testing, February 6, 2014
- Insuring against crop losses due to recalls: Are you covered?, February 6, 2014
- Rewritten Food Safety Modernization Act sections coming soon, January 17, 2014
- Developing a produce delivery form, December 20, 2013
- Maps make a difference in fresh produce safety, December 20, 2013
- Assessing the risks associated with water quality on food safety, November 25, 2013
- Crafting a Water System Risk Assessment for a GAP Manual, November 25, 2013
- Food Safety Modernization Act: Are you on the hook?, October 15, 2013
- Time is running out to comment on the Food Safety Modernization Act, October 10, 2013
- Recording noncompliance with food safety guidelines, October 2, 2013
- Following the flow of fresh produce, September 12, 2013
- Creating a preharvest food safety checklist, August 21, 2013
- Three little documents to comprehensive traceability of fresh produce, August 21, 2013
- Preharvest food safety pointers for cantaloupes and melons, July 26, 2013
- Remember all risk types when developing a food safety plan, July 22, 2013
- Evaluating the farmers market from a food safety perspective, June 5, 2013
- Risky fresh produce: What makes a particular type of fresh produce risky?, June 3, 2013
- Deadline extended to comment on Food Safety Modernization Act’s produce safety rule, May 20, 2013
- Traceability for Food Safety Purposes: What do I really need to know?, April 17, 2013
- Food safety crisis management: The first 48 hours, April 17, 2013
- Creating a culture of food safety on your farm, March 4, 2013
- Storing compost for fresh produce cropping systems, March 4, 2013
- Food Safety Modernization Act proposed produce safety rule open for comment, February 1, 2013
- Food safe compost use discussed in proposed Food Safety Modernization Act rules, February 1, 2013
- Food safety in growing fresh produce is not optional, January 2, 2013
- Teach your workers well to avoid food in the produce field, December 13, 2012
- What qualifies as pesticide training for food safety audits?, November 15, 2012
- Standard Operating Procedures ensure farm workers do something the same way every time, November 14, 2012
- Imported or domestic: Searching for a high quality chestnut, October 9, 2012
- Pointers for preventing glass contamination on the farm, September 5, 2012
- Evaluating refrigerated trucks to minimize foodborne illness risks, September 5, 2012
- Register your visitors to ensure food safety compliance, August 6, 2012
- You can help your farm workers keep harvest containers for produce, August 6, 2012
- Disciplining food safety violations: A key to an effective food safety plan, July 2, 2012
- Harvest container hygiene: More than just washing totes, July 2, 2012
- When livestock and fair food collide: Tips to keep you healthy, June 4, 2012
- Can you improve the cleanliness of your harvest knives?, May 9, 2012
- Cheap and easy method of reducing foodborne illness risk from harvest workers, May 9, 2012
- Minimizing foodborne illness risk to patrons at petting zoos, April 9, 2012
- Maintaining fresh produce cold chain reduces foodborne illness risk, April 9, 2012
- Livestock may not mix with fruit and vegetable production, March 2, 2012
- Keep food safety in mind when buying equipment, March 2, 2012
- Who is eating the produce that I grow?, February 3, 2012
- Dealing with water for irrigating, February 3, 2012
- Input Source Verification Letters for GAPs: What do you need?, January 4, 2012
- Putting contaminated produce and soils in their place, January 4, 2012
- Mind your manure when working on GAP compliance, December 5, 2011
- Focus your business motivation with a mission statement, November 2, 2011
- Encourage proper toilet use with a clean portable toilet, November 2, 2011
- To keep food safe, limit eating and smoking in harvest areas, October 4, 2011
- How to have a web presence and not empty your bank account, August 31, 2011
- Harvest container cleaning keeps people from getting sick, August 31, 2011
- Tracing food one step forward, July 26, 2011
- Encouraging appropriate farmworker hygiene starts with the right equipment, July 26, 2011
- Input source verification: Tracing food one step back, June 28, 2011
- GAP compliant worker training: Doing it right every time, June 28, 2011
- Minding your pests in packing and storage to pass a GAP audit, May 27, 2011
- Are you ready for a GAP audit?, May 25, 2011
- Maintain equipment to avoid produce contamination, April 29, 2011
- Using chlorine bleach as a packing and washwater sanitizer, April 1, 2011
- Avoiding automatic failure of a GAP audit, March 18, 2011
- Save time and money: Ask your buyer what GAP you need, March 9, 2011
- Save time and money: Ask your buyer what GAP you need, March 4, 2011
- Conducting a pre-harvest risk assessment, February 17, 2011
Authored Documents
- Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) basics: Am I covered?, March 21, 2018
- The Food Safety Modernization Act: What you need to do?, August 17, 2016
- Food safety for small farmers, February 8, 2016
- Farm food safety, January 11, 2016
- Blood and Bodily Fluid Log Sheet Sample, March 16, 2015
- Blood and Bodily Fluids Policy Factsheet, March 16, 2015
- Cooler Temperature Log,
- Livestock and Food Production,
- Worker Training Record Template,
- Maintaining a Cold Chain,
- Postharvest Washing Best Practices,
- Rodent and Bird Control,
- Writing a Mission Statement,
- Creating a Google Maps Field Map,
- Grower Self Assessment,
- Mobile Digital Recordkeeping,
- Blood and Bodily Fluids Policy Factsheet,
- Manure Use,
- Produce Safety Risk Assessment,
- Chemical Sanitizer Monitoring Form,
- Refrigerated Truck Checklist,
- Food Safe Compost Use,
- Fence Perimeter and Field Inspection Log,
- Chlorine as a Sanitizer,
- Blood and Bodily Fluids Log Sheet Sample,
- Interpreting Water Test Results,
- Blood and Bodily Fluids Policy Factsheet,
- Evaluating Refrigerated Trucks,
- Example Field Map,
- Irrigated Crop Information Log Sheet,
- Taking a Water Sample,
- Dealing With Irrigated Crops,
- Truck Checklist Log,
- Water Testing Log,
- Considering Irrigation Water Sources,