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May 14, 2019
Hello Produce Safety Alliance Members:
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Read more in this issue about the 2018 Water Summit and key outcomes, along with many additional educational opportunities through webinars, educational resources, and collaborative tools to assist produce growers!
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Water Summit Summary Available
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In February 2018, a two-day Water Summit was hosted by the Produce Safety Alliance as an engagement opportunity for growers, regulatory personal, industry representatives, educators, and researchers to increase understanding and work collaboratively to develop ideas that support risk reduction related to water. This Water Summit included informational presentations and breakout discussions. Participants explored the challenges related to the requirements of Subpart E – Agricultural Water and discussed potential solutions that are workable while still protecting public health. A final summary report has been published in the Institute of Food Technologists’ Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety.
The PSA plans to begin organizing efforts to address some of the key challenges identified in the report soon. Stay tuned for more project and resource updates!
- Water Summit Summary Report
- Wall, G. L., Clements, D. P., Fisk, C. L., Stoeckel, D. M., Woods, K. L. and Bihn, E. A. (2019), Meeting Report: Key Outcomes from a Collaborative Summit on Agricultural Water Standards for Fresh Produce. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 18: 723-737. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12434
- Meeting Recording
- Website & Presentations
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PSA Grower Training Manual Updates in Progress
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The PSA is currently working on an update to the English Version 1.1 of the Grower Training curriculum. The new manuals (Version 1.2) will include the updated agricultural water compliance dates, general edits to address minor grammatical and layout issues, and photo replacements. The new manuals will likely be available early this summer and we will send out more information as soon as we have a definitive date from the printer. A summary of changes will also be posted and critical updates will be shared with PSA Trainers, Lead Trainers, and Trainers-of-Trainers.
Once V 1.2 is released, PSA Trainers can continue to use V 1.1 manuals they have on hand, as long as the supplemental slides for
agricultural water updates
are delivered and the critical updates are reviewed and shared with course participants.
Regardless of version used, trainers must ensure that all participants during courses have the same version of the manual. Some trainers have contacted us about purchasing manuals now to utilize grant monies before they expire. The bookstore can still process your order, but will wait to ship your manuals until the V 1.2 manuals are available. Please make a note in the comments section of the
manual order form
that you would like to purchase the Version 1.2 manuals.
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Service Animals Publication Available
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One question that often arises during
Module 4 – Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
is whether or not the FSMA Produce Safety Rule allows service animals on produce farms. Our colleagues from the University of Georgia Extension, Laurel Dunn (Department of Food Science and Technology) and Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva (Department of Horticulture) have developed a great resource to address service animals on U-Pick farms. The publication reviews applicable Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policies and outlines what this may mean for produce growers and farms with U-Pick operations, roadside stands, on-site restaurants, and other venues that are open to the general public.
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Water Quality Testing Lab Resources
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Regional Water Quality Testing Labs Maps – Northeast Region
Farms covered under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule must test their agricultural water using a
method approved by the FDA
. The goal of this map is to help produce growers locate a lab that is geographically close to their location and has the capability to perform at least one of these approved test methods. All the information included in this map has been confirmed by the lab so a grower can be confident that the lab can perform the test needed AND that the lab has received information about the testing methods required under the Produce Safety Rule.
If you would like to help expand this resource by sharing with labs, the Michigan State University
protocol
was followed when creating this regional map. Therefore, the labs that are included have completed the necessary
survey
, and confirmed their contact information, operating hours, and testing capabilities. Labs are only added to the map after providing this information.
This survey has been emailed to known labs in all states across the Northeast and has received a 28% response rate. So, there are many labs not yet included that likely should be. Please share and encourage labs in your area to fill out the survey. In this resource, we want to include all labs with the capabilities to test agricultural water for growers.
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On April 15, 2019, The Association of Public Health Laboratories hosted a webinar geared towards laboratory personnel wanting to learn more about the water testing requirements included in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. The archived webinar will be available to access until April 15, 2020. To access the archived webinar, please register at
www.aphl.org/100-613-19SS
. You may pass along this link to any colleagues that may be interested. In addition, a
resource document
and the
PDF of slides
shared are available.
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Produce Safety Educators Group Webinar
The
Produce Safety Educators Group
will be hosting a webinar on Monday,
May 20, 2019
at 2 PM EDT focused on backflow prevention for produce farms. We are very excited to have Mr. Chris Callahan, Extension Associate Professor - Agricultural Engineering, University of Vermont Extension, present
‘Building a One-way Street: Backflow Prevention Strategies for Produce Farms’
. The webinar is free and no registration is necessary. The call will be recorded and posted on our website after the meeting.
Dial toll free:
877-369-0926
Meeting ID:
138 790 546
If you are interested in joining the educator’s group, please contact
Michele Humiston
to be added to the listserv.
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International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Webinar
The IAFP Fruit and Vegetable Quality and Safety Professional Development Group (PDG) will be hosting a webinar on
Monday, June 3, 2019
at 2 PM EDT titled ‘
Food Safety Practices on U.S. Produce Farms Before FSMA’.
We are excited to have presenters Dr. Gregory Astill, Dr. Travis Minor, and Dr. Suzanne Thornsbury from the USDA Economic Research Service team to share this relevant information with our PDG members. The presentation will cover key outcomes from a report published in August 2018 titled
‘
Before Implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act's Produce Rule: A Survey of U.S. Produce Growers
’
. Registration is free. This webinar has been generously sponsored by the IAFP Foundation.
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Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University to Host Webinar on World Food Safety Day
Join the
Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University (IFS@CU)
and its collaborating programs in celebrating
World Food Safety Day
on
June 7, 2019
by attending a webinar on food safety from farm to fork. Learn how Cornell faculty and staff are working to address food safety challenges through conducting applied research, offering trainings, and providing services. This webinar will feature talks from some of our food safety experts in fresh produce (
Dr. Elizabeth Bihn
), dairy foods (
Dr. Sam Alcaine
and
Dr. Nicole Martin
), and food processing and manufacturing (
Dr. Bruno Xavier
). The IFS@CU webinar will be held on June 7, 2019 from 10 to 11:30 AM EDT. It is free, but registration is required. You will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar after you register.
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PSA to Host Special Session at IAFP – Louisville, KY
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At this year’s annual International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) conference being held in Louisville, KY, the PSA will be hosting a
special session
on Monday, July 22 from 5:30 to 7 PM. The session will provide an update on the PSA’s training progress, review key FSMA PSR updates for educators, present FDA’s current commitment to produce safety education and outreach, and discuss challenges faced by State Produce implementation Cooperative Agreement Programs in working towards produce safety education and PSR implementation. The special session will conclude with PSA plans for the future. We hope to see you there!
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Upcoming Train-the-Trainer Courses
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Registration information coming soon. Check back on our
website
for more info.
Baton Rouge, LA, USA: 9/11/2019 - 9/12/2019
- Location: 5825 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806, USA
- Contact Information: Kristin Woods, Phone: 251-753-1164
- Cost: TBD; Course #: LA-190911-TR
- Training Language: English
Apopka, FL, USA: 12/11/2019 - 12/12/2019
- Location: 2725 S Binion Rd., Apopka, FL 32703, USA
- Contact Information: Kristin Woods, Phone: 251-753-1164
- Cost: TBD; Course #: FL-191211-TR
- Training Language: English
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The Food Science Institute within Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture is seeking applicants for a full-time 12-month non-tenure track research assistant professor position to be located at our Olathe campus (Kansas City metropolitan area). As an essential Food Science Institute team member, the successful individual will develop a nationally-recognized, stakeholder-informed research program in produce safety that will include characterizing and assessing the risks posed by microbial hazards and identifying and evaluating the efficacy of pre- and post-harvest controls. For best consideration,
apply
by July 9, 2019.
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