Limehouse Produce and Clemson University Partnership Leads to USDA GAP Certification for Several Local Farms 10.6.14

CHARLESTON, SC – October 6, 2014 –Limehouse Produce and Clemson University created a partnership three years ago to address the obstacles facing local farms seeking GAP certification. GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) are specific methods determined by the USDA to create food for consumers that is safe and wholesome through documentation of farm procedures and traceability of the product throughout the food system. The costs associated with achieving this voluntary certification have historically been too great for businesses that already face heightened financial pressures. By streamlining the process and subsidizing the costs, Clemson and Limehouse have made it possible for smaller farms to improve their food safety. To date, the partnership has resulted in successful certification of nine farms located in Charleston County at little to no expense to the farms.

Increasingly stringent food safety oversight has led most grocery chains and distributors like Limehouse to require GAP certification from their suppliers, cutting uncertified farms off from needed revenue. Thanks to Limehouse and Clemson, local farms that previously could not afford to complete the process, now have a viable means of attaining certification, thereby opening new and larger markets for their goods. “The most significant impact of this partnership is to allow local products into hospitals, schools and grocery stores that did not previously have access to food grown in their communities,” says Andrea Limehouse.

The increased marketability of local produce at the consumer level should provide encouragement for more local farms to seek and achieve GAP certification through this program. “Research shows that shoppers are willing to pay up to 20-percent more for items that are locally produced,” said Harry Crissy, Extension Agent for Clemson University. “GAP is allowing certified local farmers to bring their products to market in new ways that derive more revenue for their businesses and strengthen our local food system. The traceability system is giving retailers and wholesalers the confidence to offer consumers the local products they demand.”

 Certified Farms to date:

• Rosebank Farms
• Thackeray Farms
• Rawl Farms
• McCoy Farms
• Edisto Produce
• Mepkin Abbey
• Southern Moon Farms
• Adaptive Gardens
• Joseph Fields Farms

 Farms in the process of being certified:

• Freeman Farms (in process)
• Holy City Farms (in process)
• Sweetgrass Garden (in process)

 

To learn more, visit www.limehouseproduce.flywheelsites.com.

 

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