News Briefs from the PSA Team
November 2019
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On October 17-19th, PSA Director, Dr. Betsy Bihn, traveled to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Meeting in Anaheim, CA. One reason for attending was to meet with the North American Produce Safety Workgroup. She had the opportunity to hear about food safety training programs conducted by produce companies in Mexico, Chile, and Canada. It was a good opportunity to share information and discuss ways to improve international collaboration in order to meet food safety goals.
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Dr. Betsy Bihn also traveled to the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL on October 22-23 to present a Produce Safety Alliance Update. The FSPCA meeting gave her the opportunity to hear about the progress of the other Alliances and receive updates about FDA food safety inspections. FSPCA provided many updates about available resources and changes to their training portal. There was also a discussion about building training capacity worldwide, a topic very important to the PSA at this time.
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On October 25th, Midwest Regional Extension Associate Dr. Don Stoeckel traveled to Monroe, Michigan to work with part of the Michigan Produce Safety Outreach team as they prepare for the 2019/2020 training season using Version 1.2 of the PSA Grower Training Curriculum. Don participated, in part, as part of the
North Central FSMA Regional Center mentorship program
to work directly with his mentee on the Michigan training team.
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The Produce Safety Alliance is Hiring!
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The Produce Safety Alliance is seeking two new individuals to join
our team
! Review of applications has begun and will continue until a suitable applicant is identified.
Southeast Regional Extension Associate
As a key member of the PSA team, the Southeast Regional Extension Associate (SE REA) will be responsible for planning, organizing, instructing, and evaluating PSA training programs for produce growers, extension educators, and regulatory personnel in their region. Due to the extensive national and international collaboration established by the PSA, it is anticipated the SE REA will interact with a diverse population of individuals and stakeholder groups with specific emphasis in the Southeast and collaborate with Land-Grant University personnel and the FSMA Southern Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach, and Technical Assistance. The SE REA will facilitate and provide leadership on conference calls and webinars and be directly involved in training other individuals to use the developed curriculum; provide continual feedback to PSA leadership through preparation of regional impact reports, training evaluations, and outreach activities; and participate in weekly PSA team calls. Must be willing to travel regionally and nationally a significant amount of time (~50%), including non-traditional and weekend work hours. This position will be located in the Southeastern U.S. with exact location being flexible within the region.
Spanish-Language Extension Associate
The Spanish-Language Extension Associate (SL EA) will be required to have dual English and Spanish proficiency, including the ability to read, write, speak, and edit in both English and Spanish languages. The SL EA will be responsible for overseeing the translation, editing, and proofreading of PSA projects to ensure quality, message accuracy and consistency, appropriate tone and voice, and cultural relevance. By participating in a panel of Spanish-speaking reviewers, the SL EA will help lead the evaluation process for Spanish-speaking applicants who apply to become PSA Lead Trainers. The SL EA will facilitate and provide leadership for conference calls relating to international produce safety outreach efforts and may be directly involved in training other individuals to use the curriculum, in-person and through online platforms, in Spanish. In addition, the SL EA will provide continual feedback to PSA leadership through preparation of international impact reports, training evaluations, and outreach activities. Due to the extensive national and international collaboration established by the PSA, it is anticipated the Extension Associate will interact with a diverse population of individuals and stakeholder groups across the country and outside of the United States. This position will have the option to establish a work flexplace agreement depending on home location.
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New Educational Resources
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Questions about whether a farm is covered by the Produce Safety Rule are rarely simple to answer, and coverage status can be difficult to explain succinctly and accurately. A new 7-minute video from University of Minnesota Extension titled "
FSMA Produce Safety Rule: How does it apply to my farm
" walks the viewer through the process of understanding if a farm is not covered, qualified exempt, or fully covered by the rule and what those categories mean. Trainers might consider use of the video during Grower Trainings to supplement Module 1, or share it with participants before or after a course.
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Registration Open - PSA Advanced Trainer Workshops
December 17-19, 2019 or January 28-20, 2020
Lake Alfred, FL
Registration will remain open until December 10
th
for the Dec. 17-19, 2019 course.
These offerings of the PSA Advanced Training workshop are a collaboration between the Produce Safety Alliance and the FSMA Southern Center. The three-day workshop is geared toward Trainers and Lead Trainers of the PSA curriculum. Micro 101, Soil Amendments and Animals, Pre-Harvest Water, Instructor Tips for Participant Engagement, Post-Harvest Water, and Sanitation will each have a half-day full of lecture, hands-on activities, and breakouts. The goal of this training is to provide attendees with more in-depth scientific understanding of the Produce Safety Rule to better train growers.
The fee for the training is $800. Registration is limited. Registration includes the training materials, lunch, refreshments, and course certificate. For training questions, contact Katelynn Stull at
k.stull@ufl.edu
or 863-956-8656. For general registration questions, contact Sarah McCoy at
sarahmccoy@ufl.edu
.
Click here
to view the draft agenda.
Prerequisites:
Individuals must have attended the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course prior to attending the Advanced Trainer Workshop.
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Produce Safety Educators Group Webinar Series
Legal Cases Impacting Indians & Tribes
Since 2013, the Produce Safety Alliance has been hosting educational opportunities for educators through monthly presentations and discussions on various topics relevant to produce safety. To date, 41 meetings have been hosted and are archived on the
PSA’s website
. If you are interested in being added to the Produce Safety Educators e-mail listserv, please contact
Michele Humiston
.
We are excited to host the second part of our series focused on Native American Tribes with Stephen Pevar, Senior Staff Counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union on Monday, November 25, 2019 from 2-3:30 PM EST. Native American food producers play a critical role to ensuring that traditional foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, are available to Native American communities and consumers across the country. The upcoming webinar will highlight legal cases which have impacted Indians and tribes. Registration is not required and the meeting is open to anyone who would like to join. The meeting will be recorded and posted on our
website
.
Eight Fascinating Cases Impacting Indians and Tribes
November 25, 2019 - 2-3:30 PM Eastern, Call #42
Speaker: Stephen Pevar, Senior Staff Counsel - American Civil Liberties Union
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Upcoming Train-the-Trainer Courses
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Check our
website
frequently for additional course availability.
Apopka, FL, USA: 12/11/2019 - 12/12/2019
- Location: 2725 S Binion Rd., Apopka, FL 32703, USA
- Contact Information: Kristin Woods, Phone: 251-753-1164
- Cost: $250; Course #: FL-191211-TR
- Registration Information
- Training Language: English
Wenatchee, WA, USA: 4/1/2020 - 4/2/2020
- Location: 285 Technology Center Way #102, Wenatchee, WA 98801, USA
- Contact Information: Connie Landis Fisk, Phone: 541-250-6227
- Cost: Growers $25; Trainers $100; Course #: WA-200401-INT
- Registration information will be available in January 2020
- Training Language: English
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Cornell University – Department of Food Science
Senior Extension Associate
Director, Institute for Food Safety
The Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University (IFS@CU) based at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York seeks to hire an individual to serve as Senior Extension Associate and Director. IFS@CU was established in 2016 to rapidly address current and emerging food safety issues through effective training and education programs built upon a solid scientific foundation grounded in research. In keeping with Cornell University’s Land Grant Mission to create and apply knowledge with a public purpose, the IFS@CU’s goal is to become a global leader in food safety by integrating training, education, and research to ensure the safety of the food supply and the economic viability of food systems from farm to fork. The position is a full time, non-tenure track, academic term position under the direction of Olga Padilla-Zakour. Please access the Cornell Careers website at:
https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs
and search for posting #WDR-00021047. You will be directed to apply via Academic Jobs Online.
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University of Missouri Extension & College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
Assistant Professor & State Extension Specialist in Food Processing
The University of Missouri seeks a talented full-time Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist in Food Processing. This position is funded through the University of Missouri Extension and the College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources, and will be academically housed in the Food Science Program of the Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering. The position is offered as a twelve-month, tenure-track at the Assistant Professor rank with a split appointment between extension (70%) and research (30%). For more information, visit the
MU jobs website
(Job ID 30624).
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National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Coordinator, Food Safety Programs
The Coordinator of Food Safety Programs works as a member of the NASDA FSMA team and is responsible for supporting the Manager, Food Safety Programs in providing administrative and technical guidance in support of the NASDA Foundation’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Cooperative Agreements with the Food and Drug Administration on implementation of the Produce Safety Rule and the Animal Food Preventive Controls Rule. The goal of this position is to support the mission of NASDA through successful programs, outreach and education that enhance agriculture within state departments of agriculture and for agricultural stakeholders in the states.
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