The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Division of Food Safety is announcing a Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training on Wednesday December 20, 2017 to be held at Produce Perks Midwest, 3700 Park 42 Drive, Suite 105A, Cincinnati, Ohio.  The training will be one day, 8:00AM-5:00PM (with an hour lunch, not provided). There is no cost for the training and the book will be provided.  The class will be limited to 30 participants.  Because of limited space, first priority will be given to growers that must comply with the Produce Safety Rules (§ 112 Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption).

The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) which states ‘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.’

The course will cover basic produce safety; worker health, hygiene, and training; soil amendments; wildlife, domesticated animals, and land use; agricultural water (both production and postharvest); postharvest handling and sanitation; and developing a farm food safety plan. As a participant you can 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; how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm; parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one; and requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them. There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions.

To receive a completion certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.

If you wish to attend the training, fill out the application, and return it to the ODA no later than December 10th, 2017.  Growers who have been approved to attend the training will receive a confirmation letter in the mail before the training. If you do not receive a confirmation letter, your name will be added to a wait list and we will contact you when the next class is available in your area. The ODA will be offering multiple training’s throughout the state over the next year so there will be other opportunities to attend this training.

If you know of someone that is interested in attending a training class in their area and they did not receive a mailing they can call the ODA at 614-728-6250 to register.

Should you have produce safety questions, please feel free to contact me at 614-600-4272.

Regards,

Matt Fout

Produce Safety Manager, Division of Food Safety

Ohio Department of Agriculture