Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training ONLINE Zoom Jan. 15-16

Description

This effort is in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (Produce Safety), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2015-70020-24397, Mississippi State University and the Mississippi State Extension Service.

Who Should Attend?

Growers, packers, Extension agents, educators, industry suppliers and others interested in learning the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and certification. One way to satisfy § 112.22(c) which requires that at least one supervisor or responsible party from a farm subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule 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. This is such a curriculum.

What to Expect at the PSA Grower Training Course?

The trainers will spend approximately eight hours of instruction time covering content contained in seven modules. You must be present and participate during the whole course to be eligible for the materials and the certificate. The course will present some parts/examples related to growing, harvesting and handling produce.

Course is all online on zoom. Virtually we will meet for 2 days from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Attendance is mandatory in order to get certificate. 

Registration opens December 8, 2025 and will close January 7, 2026. 

In addition to learning about produce safety best practices, key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements are outlined within each module. There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions.

This training satisfies the training requirement towards requirements for MS USDA GAPs certification.

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.

Pre-registration (required).

• There are no fees for this course (in state). Participants will receive the course, materials (including PSA manual), and other information for attending and participating in the complete course. This is estimated value at over $250 per person.
• You must pre-register so that we can mail your PSA course manual. You must have your manual physically in front of you to take the course.
• What you need to participate in the course:
• Participants must have visual and audio contact throughout training, visible via webcam and able to unmute their microphones to speak.

Complete all documents/evaluations.