The PSA Train-the-Trainer Course is a two-day course that provides a review of the seven-module PSA Grower Training curriculum, an overview of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule standards, and additional modules to prepare trainers for hosting a PSA Grower Training Course, outlined below:

• Introduction to the proposed FSMA Produce Safety Rule and key challenges
• Principles of adult education
• How to incorporate the PSA curriculum into other extension trainings, such as multi-day programs
• How to develop working partnerships and effective training teams
• Expectations and logistics for trainer certification
• How to register and host a PSA Grower Training Course 

Who Should Attend the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course?

Anyone who wants to use the PSA Grower Curriculum to train growers to meet the requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule §112.22(c) which requires "at least one supervisor or responsible party from the farm to successfully complete food safety training at least equivalent to that received under the standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration." All individuals who want to become trainers must attend this two-day course before being eligible to become a PSA Certified Trainer or PSA Certified Lead Trainer. 

What is the difference between a PSA Certified Trainer and a PSA Certified Lead Trainer?
 

PSA Trainer Certification Process Flow Diagram
 

PSA Certified Trainers can:

• Deliver any of the seven curriculum modules during a PSA Grower Training Course under the supervision of a PSA Certified Lead Trainer;
• Register PSA Grower Training Courses with AFDO, as long as a PSA Certified Lead Trainer is physically present for the entire PSA Grower Training Course;
• Proceed with scheduling an interview to become a PSA Certified Lead Trainer.

To become a PSA Certified Lead Trainer, an individual must first be a PSA Certified Trainer by attending the two-day PSA Train-the-Trainer Course and then successfully complete a telephone interview designed to evaluate the core trainer competency areas described below. The interviews will include questions and scenarios from the curriculum content covered during the two-day Train-the-Trainer Course and will be conducted with no less than two PSA Interview Committee Members.

PSA Certified Lead Trainers can:

• Deliver any of the seven curriculum modules during a PSA Grower Training
• Register PSA Grower Training Courses with AFDO
• Host a training solo or by forming training teams, as long as all trainers have attend the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course.

General Information

The PSA Grower Training Course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule standards, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan. Individuals who participate in this course are expected to gain a basic understanding of:

• Microorganisms relevant to produce safety and where they may be found on the farm
• How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks, and how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm
• Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one
• Expectations proposed in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them.

Who Should Attend?

"At least one supervisor from the farm must complete food safety training at least equivalent to the standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA". Additional information may be covered in the training, depending on how the trainer structures the course (See Flexibility Section below).

What materials are included in the PSA Grower Training Manual?

The PSA Grower Training Course manual includes:

• All seven curriculum module slide sets and teaching notes
• FSMA Produce Safety Rule Regulatory Reference Table
• Glossary of terms
• Farm food safety plan writing resources
• A worksheet on understanding and calculating geometric means and statistical threshold values for agricultural water
• References and contact information

Although a farm food safety plan is not required by the proposed FSMA Produce Safety Rule, our Working Committee members and farmer focus groups identified this as a critical need for produce growers. First, it helps growers get organized and focused on produce safety.  It also helps them plan the use of resources by investing time and money in practices that reduce the biggest risks first. A farm food safety plan will also help produce growers, even those who are exempt or not covered by the regulation, to be prepared for buyer questions and third party audits. To have a third party audit, growers need a farm food safety plan.
 

Any additional materials, slides, or curriculum content that trainers choose to add on to the program will not be included in the printed materials that the growers receive from the PSA. The educational materials have been professionally designed to facilitate note-taking and trainers will be responsible for any additional printed materials or PowerPoint slides that they choose to provide attendees.  This provides an opportunity for growers to potentially learn more about other topics, such as third party audits, hands-on food safety plan writing, or more advanced content such as post-harvest water management. 

Are the educational materials available in other languages?

Currently, the materials are available in English, but once the final FSMA Produce Safety Rule is released, there is a plan to translate these materials into Spanish with other languages to follow, as necessary. More information about translations will be made available in the near future. 

Michigan State University (MSU) and the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) are working together to evaluate food safety research from a USDA-NIFA grant project titled, "An Integrated Approach to Enhance the Microbial Safety of Fresh-Cut Fruit and Vegetable Salads during Processing, Packaging, and Distribution."

IFPTI recorded a webinar of the research presentations and created a post-webinar survey for participants to provide feedback. Please help MSU and IFPTI by watching the webinar and completing the survey to evaluate this research and identify future research needs. The entire pre-recorded webinar runs under 40 minutes.

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/freshcutsurvey

Thank you for providing your input on produce safety research direction.