FSMA Produce Safety

Who Should Attend

Produce growers, buyers, and others interested in learning about: produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety.

The U.S. FDA’s Produce Safety rule requires in § 112.22(c) that for each farm, “At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.” The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy this requirement; it is the only course currently recognized by FDA.

What to Expect at the PSA Grower Training Course

The trainers will spend approximately seven hours of instruction time covering content contained in these seven modules:

• Introduction to Produce Safety
• Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
• Soil Amendments
• Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
• Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water)
• Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
• How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

Key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements are outlined within each module, in addition to learning about best practices in produce safety. There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions.

Benefits of Attending the Course

The course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan.

After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.

In addition to the standard curriculum, Safe Food Alliance will provide additional resources to attendees including:

• A decision tree and other materials to help determine how or if the regulation applies to your farm
• Templates for creating records required by the training
• A calculation tool to aid a small farm in determining if they receive a “qualified exemption”
• A list of allowable water treatment compounds provided by the Produce Safety Alliance
• Tools to assist in conducting water analysis calculations

Registration Includes

• Course Materials
• Coffee and Lunch
• Certificate

Additional Information

For more information about scheduled PSA Grower Training Courses you can reach us at foodsafety@safefoodalliance.com. More FSMA resources are available at https://safefoodalliance.com/resources/food-safety-resources/what-is-fsma/.