Food Safety Plan Template
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

No one is crazy about taking the time to write things down. However, writing a food safety plan for your farm will help you implement the practices later. To ease the burden of trying to figure out what to write for in a plan, we have created a template for you to use.
This 28-page template allows you to fill in the pieces in a step-by-step regiment based on how you run your vegetable operation. The template is set up for the Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and the Harmonized GAPs programs. Having a written plan is also useful for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) standards. A plan is not required for FSMA but it makes compliance much easier than not having one. For further questions or assistance, please contact Robert Hadad.
Still feel a bit overwhelmed about food safety practices and writing a plan? You may want to attend one of our Farm Food Safety trainings (see Events for scheduled trainings or contact Robert for more info). The training provides information on the how's and why's of reducing microbial risk for your operation, creating a workable plan to organize your practices, and the knowledge for why these practices are important. Additionally, the team of food safety experts will help you get started writing your own farm food safety plan.
Food Safety Plan Template (Microsoft Word) (doc; 198KB)
- This file will download to your computer when you click it.

Upcoming Events
Genesee Valley Winter Produce Meeting
January 20, 2026
Farmersville, NY
Fresh market production meeting for small to mid-sized farms. Topics include: fundamentals of plant disease management, keeping yourself safe while spraying (organic & conventional), mushrooms, white mold management, selling at auction, and soil health.
Chautauqua Region Winter Vegetable Meeting
January 30, 2026
Randolph, NY
Fresh market production meeting for small to mid-sized farms. Topics include: vegetable disease management, keeping yourself safe while spraying (organic & conventional), soil and water sampling, managing soil organic matter, grower panel, industry and programmatic updates.
DEC credits available: 1.0 in CORE plus 1.5 in 1a and 23.
Eden Area Winter Vegetable Meeting
February 4, 2026
North Collins, NY
Join us for a mix of industry updates, crop protection talks, pesticide safety programming, and fertility management discussions. This meeting is jointly hosted by the Cornell Vegetable Program and Timac Laing-Gro.
1.25 DEC credits available in CORE plus 1.75 in 1a and 23.