The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the July 20-21, 2015 Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training and Farm Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop in Peru, NY, be canceled and rescheduled after the FDA issues its final Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule to avoid concerns that training growers before the final release of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule will result in confusion about federal requirements. To support this recommendation, the training is now canceled.
When the PSA Grower Training Course is rescheduled, successful completion of the training will result in a certificate issued by the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). The press release issued on July 6 incorrectly stated this was ‘a federal certificate that is expected to be required as part of the new FSMA Produce Safety Rule.’ In fact, the certification issued by the AFDO is not a federal certificate issued by FDA or any other federal agency, nor is such certification required under FSMA. The certificate serves as verification that growers have attended the PSA Grower Training Course. Food safety training is a proposed requirement in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, section 112.22(c) that states, ‘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.’ Attending the PSA Grower Training Course is one way to fulfill this requirement.
Questions or concerns about this canceled training should be addressed to Dr. Betsy Bihn at 315.787.2625 or eab38@cornell.edu.