July 2016 – This summer, Claire McLendon has had the opportunity to join her interests in local food and flow charts to help Karla Capacetti, of Farmer Foodshare in Durham, and Gabriel Cummings, of Working Landscapes in Warren County.
Claire, who worked for eight years as a UNC Library employee, has been excited to find that her background in library systems and documentation has helped her navigate the complicated realm of food safety regulations. After a great deal of research and reading on HAACP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) and GAP requirements, Claire has been putting her knowledge to work to help the Chopped Produce Initiative, which sells bagged chopped collards and cabbage to local schools and institutions. Her major goal for the summer was to produce food safety documentation needed for the initiative to expand their sales.
While Claire is interested in many aspects of sustainable farming and local food systems, she is particularly invested in what goes on behind the scenes: “I really love flow charts…I don’t want to be a small produce farmer, I’m not outdoorsy, but at the same time, I care passionately about sustainable agriculture and food systems, so it’s nice to see something that I can contribute to, while basically being an IT nerd.” As her apprenticeship continues, Claire is excited to continue work on the Chopped Produce Initiative, in addition to doing further research on GAP certification and inventory and distribution systems.
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 NC Growing Together Newsletter.