When provisions of the new food safety law (the ­American Food Safety Modernization Act) are implemented, Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification ­programs should wither away, no longer needed. But that’s not likely to happen soon, according to Phil Tocco, a Michigan State University Extension educator who advises fruit growers and food handlers about preharvest and postharvest food safety. “Remember that GAPs came about because retailers felt there was a lack of adequate regulation in food safety, especially in the produce industry,” Tocco said. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which was the enforcer of food safety rules, developed its own […]