Registration is available for a series of Produce Safety training sessions that will meet the new standards for food safety under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Farm Employers Labor Service has partnered with California Farm Bureau Federation and the Safe Food Alliance to conduct the required training sessions for growers. The partnership is made possible by a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant in order to operate as a designated training provider for Southern and Central California.
The new requirements under FSMA call for at least one supervisor or responsible party from a farm to be trained to the minimum standards that are mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Produce Safety training being offered will assist growers to understand the basic requirements of the Produce Safety Rule while meeting the mandatory training requirements. Producers will be required to comply with the finalized rule in early 2018.
The schedule for the Produce Safety training courses will begin on January 16 in Fresno, followed by Tulare on January 17 and then Madera on January 24. The following week will be Santa Maria on January 30 and Oxnard on January 31. There will be a session in Holtville on February 2, followed by Temecula on February 7 and Selma on February 12. The last two sessions are being offered in Spanish with one in Fresno on February 19 and one in Tulare on February 20.
Registration for any of the available sessions is available through the Food Safety Training Partnership website. Participants will receive a one-day, seven-module training course on produce safety, which has been approved by the FDA as the standardized curriculum. After completion, participants will be issued an Official Produce Safety Alliance certification, as required by the Produce Safety Rule.