Produce Safety Alliance
The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) is a collaborative project between the US Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and Cornell University. Visit their main page to sign up for their newsletter or find them on Facebook. Below are a few areas of focus for the PSA.
Training
The PSA has taken the lead in creating standardized training curriculum and materials for produce growers. Currently, this training curriculum is the only FDA approved training to meet the FSMA requirements for farms that are subject to the Produce Safety Rule. The FSMA Produce Safety Rule 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 FDA . In the future, there may be alternative trainings offered, but as of September 2018, the PSA Grower Training is the only one "recognized as adequate."
If you have questions about whether or not a training will meet the requirements, please contact our Produce Safety Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Department of Agriculture (406) 444-0131 or FoodSafety@mt.gov. Future training is being planned in Montana, but you are welcome to take the PSA Grower training wherever it is offered. List of upcoming courses.
Resources
The PSA is continually adding resources and materials to their website. Below are just a few topics you can find.
- Agricultural water calculation tools
- Exemption and exclusion presentation
- Farm food safety plan writing resources (you are not required to have a safety plan for your farm, but it is recommended)
Montana Rules & Code: Produce
Contacts
