CARBONDALE, Ill.— Do you have concerns about safety in your produce operation? Are you concerned about compliance with FSMA? Do you want to know more about the difference between FSMA and GAPs?  Then the Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training might be for you!

On Dec. 18, 2019, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., U of I Extension in conjunction with Southern Illinois University will be holding a Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training Workshop at the SIU Agronomy Research Center, 3268 W. Pleasant Hill Road, Carbondale, Illinois. 

The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’ 

After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.

Registration, training materials and handouts, lunch, and Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) certificate of completion will be covered through funds from the Illinois Farm Bureau.  Certificates are required for individuals looking to meet the conditions of the FSMA Produce Rule.

Registration will close on December 3, 2019. There are a limited number of seats available for this training.  Once the course is full, registrations will close.

Registration can be completed at:

https://extension.illinois.edu/events/2019-12-18-produce-safety-alliance-grower-training   

Questions can be directed to Laurie George or Ruplal Choudhary.

News Source: Laurie George, 618-242-0780, ljgeorge@illinois.edu