California Ag Network

Tag: Produce Safety Training

  • PMA Launches the Essentials of Produce Safety — Online Professional Training Program

    The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has announced the launch of its eLearning certificate course Essentials of Produce Safety, an entirely online, affordable and in-depth program covering the key challenges and best practices in produce safety. The course is the first certificate program in PMA’s new educational platform offering, FreshEd Academy. The course was developed in partnership with Intertek Alchemy, the industry leader in produce safety eLearning solutions.

    “FreshEd Academy is our commitment to delivering thought leadership to the produce and floral industries, while providing member partners with innovative, yet affordable, educational solutions” said Gina Jones, VP of Insights and Analytics at PMA. “Essentials of Produce Safety is the first of a number of courses and broader initiatives we are launching that pick up where today’s traditional training programs end.”

    Taught by produce safety experts with real life understanding of the challenges and risks, Essentials of Produce Safety is available to individual learners and employee groups alike, with all enrollees benefitting from:

    • Enhanced produce safety proficiency
    • Improved communication across the organization and supply chain
    • Immediate application of learnings to the work environment

    “It is critically important for produce safety supervisors and managers to have an opportunity to receive education on why they are doing what they do, and to gain insights into how to do it even better,” says course author, instructor and former PMA Chief Science & Technology Officer, Dr. Robert Whitaker. “Essentials of Produce Safety is designed to provide that educational experience; converting staid food safety training into an educational opportunity that cultivates industry leading food safety professionals.”

    Essentials of Produce Safety is delivered entirely online via a device responsive learning management system that enables learners to complete the course anywhere, on any device — desktop, tablet or mobile. The course consists of seven learning modules, a review module, and a certificate exam.

    Essentials of Produce Safety instructor Afreen Malik, Director of Technical Services at International Food Safety adds “understanding the science based fundamental principles of produce safety can help lead to a safer produce supply chain globally. Essentials of Produce Safety helps us to do just that.”

    For more information, visit: https://freshed.academy.

  • Produce Safety Training Ensuring Continued Enjoyment Of Specialty Crops

    Davis, Calif., (January 29, 2018) – Oakleaf, Mizuna, Red Rib Chicory, Lollo Rosa, and Lamb’s Lettuce, are the names of a few of the leafy vegetables which graced my salad plate. The thinly sliced fresh red onion, juicy pomegranate kernels, and fresh citrus dressing added to the delectable ensemble. I, as well as so many other California diners, have grown accustomed to the taste-bud sensations that await us in this day of the farm-to-fork movement.

    Ronald F. Bond collecting samples in the Salinas Valley. (Photo: M. L. Partyka)

    As I inhaled my salad, I couldn’t help but think of the recent E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that affected at least 24 people in the U.S. and more than 40 in Canada. Originally it was blamed on Romaine lettuce, but early in January the CDC said in a statement that the likely source of the outbreak in the United States appears to be leafy greens. However, officials have not identified a specific type of leafy green or specifically where it originated.

    A 2013 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control revealed that 46 percent of all foodborne illnesses that led to hospitalization or death between 1998 and 2008 were attributable to fresh produce. The report brought to the consumers’ attention that, while fresh fruits and vegetables are the cornerstones of a healthy diet, when improperly handled, they can be fatal.

    In spite of these sobering statistics I feel confident to continue my consumption of raw produce, in part because of the knowledge of such things as the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program administered by CDFA to create and deliver educational materials for growers to assist in conducting agricultural water sampling and environmental assessments. The grant is part of an effort to help growers meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) standards for safe foods.

    Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) and UC Agricultural and Natural Resource (ANR) personnel – including plant pathologist Bennie Osburn, UC Cooperative Extension specialist Alda Pires, UCCE specialist Erin DiCaprio, and WIFFS staff Heather Johnson and Ronald Bond – are developing a guide for California’s mid- and small- farm specialty crop growers to meet the requirements of the PSR. Training materials, including online and face-to-face field exercises, will be developed for extension specialists and farm advisors. To facilitate the learning experience, there will be online information in multiple languages including Spanish, Hmong, Mandarin and English to meet the diverse needs of California specialty crop growers. The final step in the process will be to deliver the course materials in seven outreach workshops in those regions of California where mid- and small-sized growers are located.

    With UC Davis and UC ANR working together to support California specialty crop growers as they work to meet the new compliance standards of the FSMA PSR, we can long enjoy the abundant, fresh leafy green produce produced in California’s fertile valleys.