|
July 25, 2023
Dear PSA newsletter subscribers,
Wow! We have somehow already made it to the end of July. We know many of you have been busy with conferences, field work in extreme heat, and hopefully sneaking away for a little vacation as well. We hope that everyone is doing well and we have enjoyed getting to catch up with many of you at recent conferences.
This newsletter includes important updates on the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, PSA updates, and registration links to upcoming webinars. Happy reading!
Sincerely,
The PSA Team
| |
Remote PSA Grower Training Policy is Now Permanent | |
|
PSA has decided to make the Remote PSA Grower Training (GT) Policy a permanent policy. In 2020, we enacted a temporary remote delivery policy for delivering the standardized PSA GT Course. This policy was a direct response to guidelines from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control encouraging social distancing to slow down the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.
Upon reviewing evaluation data and receiving many favorable comments from collaborators, PSA has made the Remote Training Delivery Policy a permanent policy. PSA Trainers and Lead Trainers will be able to register remote grower training courses with AFDO indefinitely.
PSA is in the process of developing a factsheet highlighting benefits and challenges of the PSA Remote GT Delivery policy, based on a comparison of evaluation data from PSA GT Course sessions delivered in-person (2019) and remotely (2021). This information is very important because it will help PSA Trainers ensure their remote trainings are just as effective as their in-person trainings.
| |
Fruit and Vegetable Food Safety Training Video for Field Employees | |
|
Safely producing fruits and vegetables requires everyone involved in planting, growing, harvesting, packing, and transporting fresh produce to understand food safety practices. It also involves commitment from company owners and managers. This video was developed to support fresh produce growers as they implement employee training to reduce risks during fruit and vegetable production. It is intended for all farm employees, but especially focused on field employees who harvest and pack fresh produce. Employee training is not only important for ensuring the microbial safety of fresh produce, but for meeting buyer food safety requirements, third-party audit requirements, and for being compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. One of the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule is that those working with fresh produce must receive annual training on food safety practices, so this video was created just for them! This new video is an update to the 2003 “Food Safety Begins on the Farm” worker training video produced by the National GAPs program, and integrates FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements with additional recommendations. Additional languages and videos will be posted shortly as part of this effort.
This work is supported by the Food Safety Outreach Program Grant No. 2017-70020-27259 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
| | | |
FSMA Produce Safety Rule: Agricultural Water System Inspection is Different from the Proposed Agricultural Water Assessment | |
This new fact sheet covers the differences between an Agricultural Water System Inspection (§ 112.42) and the proposed Agricultural Water Assessment (AgWA) in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. This resource highlights differences in compliance dates, required frequency, evaluation parameters, and documentation requirements. This fact sheet is now available in English and Spanish. | |
|
Are You a Produce Safety Educator? | |
|
As a reminder to all produce safety educators, the PSA has two Produce Safety Educators’ Groups (one for English speakers and one for Spanish speakers). These groups are open to all that are interested. Below are the links to both groups, please sign up if you are interested.
Produce Safety Educators' Group
Grupo de educadores en la inocuidad de los productos agrícolas frescos en español
Our next upcoming Spanish Educators' Group Meeting will be on August 3, 2023 from 2:00-3:30 pm on the Practical Recommendations to Meet Postharvest Agricultural Water Requirements. Register Here
In this second meeting of the series, we will cover basic concepts, the science behind the use of disinfectants and some practices that apply to water used during produce harvest and post-harvest activities. This presentation was given by subject matter experts, Dr. Faith Critzer (University of Georgia) and Laura Strawn (Virginia Tech), at one of the Produce Safety Educators' Group meetings in English, and will be presented to our Spanish-speaking audience by the PSA Alliance Spanish Extension Associates. During the presentation in Spanish the experts will participate as panelists to provide an enlightening discussion, where they will answer your questions, and share their experiences on how to maintain water quality during harvest and post-harvest at adequate levels to meet the requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
| |
PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop | |
 | |
We planned to have a PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop in October 2023 in Geneva, NY, but have pushed this workshop back to Spring of 2024. We are also tentatively holding dates in February 2024 for Lake Alfred, FL. We are still looking for additional funding to support this workshop. Please fill out the form below to be notified when more details are available.
The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Advanced Trainer Workshop has been developed to provide attendees with an in-depth scientific understanding of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and help trainers enrich their PSA training skills. This workshop is a blend of lecture, hands-on activities, and breakout groups separated into six half-day modules. It was designed to enhance PSA Trainers’ knowledge to better prepare them to answer grower questions during PSA trainings. The curriculum development team, comprised of the Produce Safety Alliance and members of the Southern Center for FSMA training, developed this training to give participants an opportunity to perform hands-on activities. These experiential learning opportunities give participants first-hand experience with many of the practices that the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requires of growers.
Prerequisite: Individuals must have attended the PSA Grower Training Course prior to attending the PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop.
| |
Spanish Online PSA Grower Training Pilot | |
|
We are hosting our first Spanish language Online PSA Grower Training in August 2023! We are very excited for the individuals who have signed up to participate in this pilot course and look forward to all your feedback. We also want to take the time to thank Dr. Laura Acuna-Maldonado and Rob Way for their countless hours spent translating course material and getting this course up and running.
The Online PSA Grower Training Course is the same curriculum as the in-person PSA Grower Training Course, but offered in an online, asynchronous, 3-week session through eCornell. The pilot Spanish-language online course includes self-check quizzes and six required discussions that can be completed at the participants’ own pace. The online course is expected to take 15-30 hours total for successful completion. For additional information on examples of course format, please visit the current English online course website: https://cals.cornell.edu/produce-safety-alliance/training/grower-training-course/online-course
If you are interested in participating in the pilot course, please reach out to Yulie Meneses (yem4@cornell.edu).
| |
Educational Opportunities | |
Upcoming PSA Train-the-Trainer Courses | |
|
Remote delivery course |September 18-21, 2023
Remote delivery course | October 02-05, 2023
Remote delivery course | November 13-16, 2023
| |
|
The CONTACT Team is back with Season 3 of the Produce Safety Webinar Series, and will be kicking it off with a topic overwhelmingly requested by their viewers!
Join them for “Root Cause Analysis (Part 1: What & Why; Part 2: How/Real World Applications)”, on September 7th at 3:30 pm Eastern / 12:30 pm Pacific.
CONTACT friend, Dr. Jennifer McEntire is back to co-host, and has enlisted some outstanding individuals to guide us through a crash course in root cause analysis (RCA) with an emphasis on practical application for industry. In Part 1 (September 7), we will focus on the what and why, giving attendees a refresher on RCA as we dive deeper into the topic. Part 2 (October 5) will cover how you perform RCA, with real world examples from the produce industry. Each webinar (September 7 and October 5) will feature 4 speakers over the first hour, with the last 30 minutes of each webinar reserved for a live only Q&A where audience questions will be answered. Speakers include Dr. Mark Moorman (FDA), Natalie Dyenson (International Fresh Produce Association), Afreen Malik (Western Growers), and Dr. Don Schaffner Rutgers for part 1; and Felice Arboisiere (Dole), Greg Komar (LGMA), Vivien McCurdy (IN Department of Health), and Dr. Laura Strawn (Virginia Tech) for part 2.
This webinar is free and will be held via Zoom. Registration is required. Produce safety industry, government, and academia are encouraged to come. All are invited!
Missed Season 1 and 2? Visit our YouTube Channel!
| |
Crop-Livestock Integration in Organic Produce Crops: Its Impacts on Food Safety & Soil Health | |
 | |
The University of California Davis has partnered with University of Minnesota, University of Maryland and The Organic Center to present findings on the food safety and soil health impacts of cover-crop grazing for fresh spinach and cucumbers in organic systems. The webinar on July 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT will provide attendees with an understanding of how integrating the grazing of cover crops in fresh vegetable production systems can be implemented in three different climates: humid coastal, humid continental, and semi-arid. Register here!
During the webinar, you'll learn:
· An overview of goals and main outcomes of grazing cover crops in organic systems across three states with distinct climates
· The benefits and tradeoffs of safe integration of livestock in cover-crop production for all stakeholders, including the produce and livestock industry, policymakers, and consumers
· A better understanding of nutrient cycling and soil health benefits to support sustainable cropping outcomes
· Cover crop and grazing strategies for adequate wait periods for increased food safety of produce in integrated-livestock cover and specialty crop production
| | | | |
