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April 26, 2024
Happy Spring!
As the majority of the country moves into warmer weather, we know everyone has been extra busy. The PSA has been busy wrapping up a lot of projects as the summer draws near. This newsletter includes updates on some special projects, general information from the PSA team, and some information regarding new/updated PSA resources. We look forward to a great remainder of Spring and we hope to see you soon!
-The PSA Team
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Agricultural Water (Subpart E) | |
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The PSA team has been keeping a close eye on the status of Subpart E (Agricultural Water), particularly the needs that emerged when the harvest and postharvest water requirements began to be enforced in 2023. The Required Records Fact Sheet and Templates were revised, in part to address harvest/postharvest water requirements.
· Link to the Required Records Fact Sheet (English, Español)
· Link to the editable Templates (English, Español)
The URLs are the same; if you already link to the Required Records fact sheet the link will now take you to the updated documents. Some of the changes include enhancements to the Agricultural Water System Inspection (§ 112.42) template to bring the language more in line with the regulatory requirements, clarification about which records in Subpart E relate to postharvest water (current compliance), and which relate to pre-harvest water (enforcement discretion during revision process), and helpful tips about other required documentation. Please share the availability of this updated resource with your networks. A reminder that, for many produce farms, an inspection in 2024 will be the first time they are required to provide documentation related to Subpart E.
PSA Special Projects Manager Don Stoeckel has been attending regional meetings including NECAFS, North Central, and upcoming Western (Hilo, May 1) FSMA Center Annual Meetings to share the Risk Prioritization Tool for pre-harvest agricultural water that was developed using FSOP funding in collaboration with Annalisa Hultberg at the University of Minnesota and Phil Tocco at Michigan State University. This Risk Prioritization Tool could be useful to support compliance if covered farms are required to do an Agricultural Water Assessment (as described in proposed revisions to Subpart E).
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PSA Bookstore Summer Closure | |
The Bookstore will be closed for updates from Friday, August 16, 2024 through Friday, August 23, 2024. Any orders placed during this time will not be shipped until the Bookstore reopens on Monday, August 26, 2024. As preparations are made for summer PSA GT Courses, please order PSA manuals ahead of time so you are not impacted by the bookstore closure. Contact psatrainers@cornell.edu for emergencies. | |
Seeking Spanish-speaking Growers for Online PSA GT Course Pilot
The Produce Safety Alliance is offering an additional pilot of the Spanish Language Online Grower Training.
This pilot course will be offered at no cost to the participants. This training is being offered specifically to Spanish-speaking growers. If you know of any growers that would benefit from participating in an online grower training, please contact Mariana Villarreal Silva (mv378@cornell.edu ), with the PSA, to find out more details about this training.
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We're thrilled to share some incredible updates from our PSA Spanish Language Extension Associates (SLEAs), Yulie Meneses, Davis Blasini, Laura Acuña-Maldonado, Mariana Villarreal Silva, and Laura Pineda-Bermudez, who have been making waves on the international stage!
· On March 13, Yulie and Davis shared their expertise at the FDA Binational Produce Safety Rule Summit in Antigua, Guatemala, delivering informative presentations on worker health and hygiene and postharvest water. The following day, alongside Laura Acuña-Maldonado, they led an in-person PSA Grower Training, empowering local growers with essential knowledge regarding the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
· But the momentum didn't stop there! On April 9, Laura Acuña-Maldonado and Davis Blasini continued their journey, presenting at the FDA Binational Produce Safety Rule Summit in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The summit drew an attendance of 240 people, underscoring the significance of produce safety outreach. Following the summit, the PSA team, including Laura Pineda-Bermudez, conducted a PSA Grower Training along with three local PSA trainers as part of a trainer mentoring program that aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange within the local community. The PSA Team participated in an On-Farm Readiness Review demonstration on a local farm the same week.
We couldn't be more proud of our dedicated team for their efforts in spreading awareness and produce safety knowledge internationally.
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More Than Words
The ‘More than Words’ illustrations and teaching notes are now complete, with a downloadable PDF teaching guide and presentations available in English and Spanish. We know we have shared before but several things have been updated. There are 21 illustrations that provide a powerful and effective way to communicate concepts with minimal text. The PSA Grower Training Course contains complex regulatory language and scientific information, which can be difficult to understand. These illustrations can help learners engage with the information in a different way to enhance their learning experience. These illustrations allow growers to consider risks they may have on their farms, practices that could reduce these risks, and regulatory provisions that may be relevant if they are subject to the FSMA PSR.
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The PSA EPA-labeled Sanitizers for Produce web tool has been launched in English. The PSA Sanitizer Tool, originally developed in 2017, is primarily a compilation of EPA-labeled sanitizers labeled for fruit and vegetable washing. The list also includes sanitizers labeled for non-porous food contact surfaces and irrigation water. In addition to transitioning to a searchable web-based format, resource updates include the addition of product labels (when available) and more accurate identification of labeled uses. A video tutorial and factsheet are in development to give clear instructions on the use of this tool. | |
USDA Harmonized GAP Update | |
USDA has posted the updated Harmonized GAP and Harmonized GAP Plus+ Standards on the USDA website. The updates will become effective on May 1, 2024. These updates were added to align with IFPA’s Produce GAPs Harmonized Combined Standard which include more consistent language, reducing redundancy and new requirements relating to water treatment, recall program, soil amendments, and maintenance. More information on the Harmonized GAP and Harmonized GAP+ Standards, including a recent webinar, can be found on the USDA website. | |
Southeast Region
The southeast continues to stay busy throughout the spring season. While Tommy Saunders is still working adjusted hours for parental leave, he continues to serve the southeast needs and is eager to continue current collaborations into this summer conference season. He was fortunate to collaborate with Dr. Laura Strawn at Virginia Tech and the team she assembled; Dr. Alexis Hamilton at Virginia Tech, Stuart Vermaak and Sarah Sharpe from Virginia Cooperative Extension, Erik Bungo of Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, and Ben Marshall of the FDA, to help provide a Cleaning and Sanitizing workshop for Virginia growers this past month. There were 32 growers from across the state that participated in this training.
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Western Region
In collaboration with Jacqui Gordon and the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, Mariana Villarreal Silva, our SLEA based in California, delivered two PSA Grower Trainings in Spanish, at Yakima and Wenatchee, WA, on March 27th and 28th, along with PSA Lead Trainers Kate Smith and Rob Smith, and PSA Trainer Dolly Santacruz.
On February 15, Davis Blasini, our SLEA based in Arizona, together with the University of Arizona’s Associate in Extension, Dr. Shujuan (Lucy) Li, and Africa Dorame-Avalos, Pesticide Program Manager of the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona delivered a seven-hour workshop exploring produce safety and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at Fort Mojave Indian Tribe located at the Tristate area between Arizona, California and Nevada. Together with Dr, Channah Rock (University of Arizona), Dr. Valerissa Joe (University of Arizona – Navajo Nation), and Jeanette Ramirez (La Semilla, New Mexico), Davis Blasini was part of the food safety panel discussion that took place at the National Farmer Union 122nd annual convention in Scottsdale Arizona on March 11. In this panel, it was discussed the most pressing topics related to the role of minority farmer communities in the fresh produce industry of the western United States.
Davis Blasini and Don Stoeckel will represent the PSA at the Western Regional Center for the Enhancement of Food Safety (WRCEFS) Annual Meeting in Hilo, HI. While Davis will deliver the PSA Annual Update, Don will deliver a presentation about the Risk Prioritization Tool for pre-harvest agricultural water.
Betsy Bihn joined the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI) Training Team to conduct a PSA Grower Training in Denver, CO on March 29-April 1, 2024. IFAI is working to finalize a modified PSA curriculum to better serve tribal growers.
Laurie George and Don Stoeckel joined Colorado State University to assist with an in-person Train-the-Trainer course in Colorado Springs, CO on April 16-17, 2024. Fifteen attendees graduated and are on their way to, hopefully, becoming Lead Trainers! Congratulations to all!
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Northeast Region
The Produce Safety Alliance collaborated with the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) to conduct a Grower Training on April 19th to 20th for their Kinyarwanda-speaking stakeholders in Manchester, New Hampshire. Collins Bugingo, the PSA Western Regional Extension Associate teamed up with Jean Mugabo, a PSA trainer and coordinator of the New American Sustainable Agriculture Project (NASAP) to deliver the training using the Alternative Language Delivery Policy. If you ever want to use this policy, reach out to Donna Clements dmp274@cornell.edu for more information.
Donna Clements, PSA Coordinator and Northeast Regional Extension Associate, had the opportunity to work with the University of Maryland, UMD Extension, UMD Agriculture Law Education Initiative, FDA, and UDC Firebird farm to present a cleaning and sanitizing workshop on March 5, 2024. This workshop included presentations and hands-on activities around cleaning, sanitizing, worker training, sanitation verification, and lessons learned from previous outbreaks. The workshop included a tour of UDC Firebird farm’s new packinghouse and discussion of sanitary design principles.
Betsy Bihn, PSA Director, worked with PSA trainers, Courtney Weber, Myron Thurston, and Rory Wang to conduct a PSA Grower Training at Cornell Agritech in Geneva, NY on April 16, 2024. This training was focused on university personnel that donate fresh produce to local communities as well as serving local growers.
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Midwest Region
In the Midwest, Laurie George attended the North Central Region Annual Conference in Burr Ridge, Illinois. The meeting started with a morning tour of the Illinois Institute of Technology/Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH), then progressed into updates from USDA, NIFA, FDA as well as the Produce Safety Alliance. Afternoon breakout sessions enabled the participants to interact with speakers on various topics, such as interactive tools to improve food safety, Sprout safety, and non-thermal mitigation strategies for fresh produce. Don Stoeckel, Annalisa Hultberg, and Phil Tocco delivered a presentation about the Risk Prioritization Tool for pre-harvest agricultural water. About 40 individuals attended. It was a great meeting and was good to see everyone again in-person!
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Recent Train-the-Trainer Course Completion | |
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Laurie George, Collins Bugingo, Davis Blasini, and Laura Pineda-Bermudez co-trained during a remote Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Course the week of February 26th. Our participants were a dynamic group from across the country with differing backgrounds and experiences in produce safety. Laura, Davis, Collins, and Betsy Bihn co-trained during another remote TTT Course the week of April 2nd. We had participants from across the United States, spanning 5 time zones, with an additional participant joining us internationally from Turkiye. We enjoyed the insightful discussions we had throughout the training! Both TTTs were engaging trainings and we learned a lot from everyone’s diverse perspectives.
Congratulations to all the new trainers!
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