WATERLOO, N.Y. — Approximately one in six Americans becomes sick each year from a food borne illness. The Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law by President Obama and went into effect in 2016. One of the major portions of the legislation is the Produce Safety Rule. The Produce Safety Rule focuses on preventing food illness outbreaks related to fresh produce. As we know, produce safety begins on the farm. The Produce Safety rule established, for the first time, science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption.
If your farm falls under the FSMA food safety regulations, then you or another designated staff member in charge of food safety are required to attend a FSMA-PSR training. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘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.’
All vegetable and fruit producers are invited to a Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule (FSMA-PSR) training scheduled for Wednesday, August 11, 2021 from 9:00am to 4:00pm at the Seneca Produce Auction, located at 2295 Yerkes Road, Romulus, NY. Coffee breaks and lunch will be available on site to purchase. The class is geared towards farms that fall under the FSMA-PSR or will in the near future. However, all farms growing produce no matter their size are welcome to attend.
Please contact CCE Seneca County at www.senecacountycce.org/FSMAtraining or call 315-539-9251 to register by Sunday, August 1st. Registration is required. The cost is $100.00 for the manual and certificate however, this cost will be covered by scholarships from the Produce Safety Alliance. Topics covered will include: Introduction to Produce Safety; Worker Health, Hygiene and training; Soil Amendments; Wildlife, Domesticated Animals and Land Use; Agricultural Water (including production and post-harvest water); Postharvest Handling and Sanitation and How to develop a Farm Food Safety Plan.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension