Safe Produce IN Providing FSMA Training
The Produce Safety Rule is part of the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA. It’s intended to prevent food safety issues before they occur by establishing science-based standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce. If you raise produce that is typically consumed raw, this likely affects your operation. Safe Produce IN is a partnership between the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and Purdue Extension to help educate and train fruit and vegetable producers about FSMA. Morgan Gadd, Food Safety Outreach Coordinator for ISDA says, “We estimate that quite a few of our larger growers are already compliant with far more than FSMA requires of produce growers, but our goal is really to educate everybody about the rule, to answer as many questions as possible about the regulation (and) those expectations.”
Gadd says they want producers to know what is expected of them prior to an auditor showing up. “We want to educate you before we regulate you as a grower. So, the way the whole process works (is) you reach out to us, ask us to come and do a mock audit pre-inspection, and we’ll help to make sure that everything is up to code so you won’t be held accountable to something that you weren’t even aware of.”
One requirement the auditor will ask for is documentation showing completion of training provided by Purdue Extension. There is still room for the training course being held at the Indiana Horticultural Congress at the Marriott East Hotel on East 21st St. in Indianapolis on Thursday. If you are a producer and have questions regarding FSMA and how it might impact your operation, visit safeproduceIN.com.
Training Opportunities:
Febuary 15, 2018
Indiana Horticulture Congress
Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel
7202 East 21st Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219
9:00 am-5:00 pm Eastern Time
Febuary 27-28, 2018
Produce Safety Alliance Water Summit
TWO REMOTE LOCATIONS
Purdue Extension – Vanderburgh County
13301 Darmstadt Rd., Suite A Evansville, IN 47725
or
Purdue Extension – Lake County
2293 N. Main St. Crown Point, IN 46307
7:00 am-4:00 pm Central Time
March 1, 2018
Purdue Extension-Hendricks County 4-H and Conference Complex
Small Farms Conference
4900 E. Main St. P.O. Box 7
Danville, IN 46122
9:00 am- 5:00 pm Eastern Time
March 15, 2018
Switzerland County Technology and Education Center
708 W. Seminary St., P.O. Box 175
Vevay, IN 47043
9:00 am -5:00 pm Eastern Time
April 2, 2018
Vigo County Public Library
Meeting Room C
1 Library Square, Terre Haute, IN 47807
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Time
April 3, 2018
Purdue Extension-Parke County
1472 North U.S. 41
Rockville, IN 47872
9:00 am -5:00 pm Eastern Time
April 5, 2018
Wayne County Fair & Expo Center
861 Salisbury Road North
Richmond, IN 47374
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Time