Description
The purpose of the opportunity is to continue to provide the produce industry and associate groups (e.g., regulators, auditors, extension educators, consumers, etc.) with training and educational opportunities related to current best practices and guidance, and current and future regulatory requirements by maintaining the “Produce Safety Alliance” (PSA). Objective 1: Maintain a standardized, multi-format, multi-lingual training and education program to assist the produce industry (including growers and packers) and regulatory agencies with the implementation of FDA’s requisite produce safety regulation and in understanding the public health and environmental benefits of co-management and to integrate food safety and environment co-management principles in implementing FDA’s produce safety regulation. Update the standardized curriculum to incorporate published FDA guidance applicable to the PSR or new PSR rulemaking. Objective 2: Maintain a Train-the-Trainer curriculum to ensure that a national group of qualified instructors is available to deliver the program. Maintain a Lead Training application and review process, and a Trainer of Trainer process, in both English and Spanish. Objective 3: Providing educational outreach assistance to fresh produce growers and packers, including grower cooperatives, to increase their understanding of the critical role they play in public health via implementation of on-farm and packing house GAPs, on-farm environmental coordinated management (co-management), and other preventive controls. Objective 4: Conduct an ongoing formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the training. Conduct research through this evaluation including data collection and analysis to assess the PSA course impact, trainer effectiveness, and need for course modifications to improve participant understanding of the Produce Safety Rule and Good Agricultural Practices, and enhance training based on evaluation findings. Continue to assess the adequacy of existing educational outreach tools, identify gaps, and fill and update as necessary. Objective 5: Engage with FDA and other FDA partners to advance efforts related to international audiences, including participation in grower trainings, produce safety summits, and other educational activities related to prevention plans, Trainer-of-Trainers trainings and the Lead Trainer application/review process, and mentoring of international trainers. Objective 6: Revise the standard curriculum in response to the launch of the final agricultural water rule. Develop a training strategy to deliver content to growers, trainers, and others who have previously received PSA training. Training and outreach to be conducted in multiple languages.