Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training satisfies Food Safety Modernization Act rule

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Safe Produce program will host a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training at various dates and locations. This U.S. Food and Drug Administration-recognized food safety education program is designed for farmers who grow and harvest fruits and vegetables for human consumption and intend to enter the commercial market or public distribution.

The training is suitable for commercial fruit and vegetable growers, home produce gardeners and other produce enthusiasts who want to further their understanding of produce safety as defined in the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule and Good Agricultural Practices standards.

Andre Salazar, extension education specialist in food safety, noted that the training satisfies an important rule for commercial fruit and vegetable growers.

“The PSA Grower Training course satisfies the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement that at least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration,” he said.

In-person PSA Grower Training Sessions will be held on Feb. 18 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Polk County office in Altoona and on March 10 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Johnson County office in Iowa City. A virtual training option will be held in April via Zoom.

The cost to register for the PSA Grower Training course is $30, which includes course attendance, the PSA Grower Training manual and the American Food and Drug Officials certificate of completion.

Interested participants can register for their preferred PSA Grower Training on the on the ISU Safe Produce website. The registration fee will be collected during the online registration process.

For more information, contact Andre Salazar at asalazar@iastate.edu or visit Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training.

This project is funded by the State and Territory Cooperative Agreement to Enhance Produce Safety in Preparation of Implementation of FDA’s Rule: Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, through FDA grant 1U18FD005810-01 (CFDA #93.102-Food and Drug Administration Research).