Fruit and vegetable growers can meet training requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) at workshops at various locations throughout Missouri, including one at Jamesport in November, with the time to be announced.
FSMA includes rules for produce growers that are intended to reduce the risk of contamination from E. coli, listeria, salmonella and other disease-causing microbes, said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with University of Missouri Extension and Kansas State Research and Extension. The rules set standards related to water quality, use of manure and compost, and worker health and hygiene.
“Because some produce is not cooked before eating, it’s essential that anyone handling fresh fruit and vegetables along the grower-to-consumer chain use the best practices possible to ensure safety,” Nwadike said.
Dates and locations: Oct. 3, Mount Vernon; Oct. 4, West Plains; Oct. 29, Lamar; Nov. 7, Windsor; November (date to be announced), Jamesport; Dec. 4, St. Peters; Dec. 7, Kennett; Dec. 12, Barnett (tentative); Jan. 10, 2019, at the Great Plains Growers Conference, St. Joseph.
The one-day workshop covers how to identify risks, best practices to reduce risks, key parts of the FSMA’s produce safety rule, and how to develop a farm food safety plan.
Participants will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Course Attendance from the Association of Food and Drug Officials that verifies they have attended the course, which is a requirement for compliance with the FSMA produce safety rule. Certificates are issued to individuals who attend the course and do not stay with the farm or organization if those individuals leave.
For questions, contact Nwadike at 816-482-5860 or Patrick Byers at 417-859-2044.
The workshops are sponsored by the University of Missouri, Kansas State University, Lincoln University and the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
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