Colorado Produce Safety News
May 2021
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Hello Produce Safety News!
Happy spring! Hopefully you are enjoying this mild spring weather. This month we are featuring information about on-farm readiness review visits that help you with your food safety practices, required farm registration, and our upcoming webinar on May 25th about USDA GAP Audits in Colorado!
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|| Resources & Information ||
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Time to schedule your produce safety farm visit!
Colorado State University Extension will come out to your farm to discuss your food safety practices. This on-farm readiness review is free of charge and confidential.
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What can I expect during the visit?
We will walk around your farm and discuss your food safety practices related to: worker health and hygiene; soil amendment use; pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest activities; domesticated animals and wildlife management; pre- and post-harvest sanitation; and agricultural water use.
Please note, we will need to visit the farm when employees are actively harvesting and/or packing, so we can observe your farm practices while they are occurring.
How can you prepare for the visit?
The person who walks around with us will need to have attended a Produce Safety Alliance grower training. Please contact Cristy if you are unsure of whether you have attended the correct training.
Review your food safety practices, consider where the risks are for your farm, and prepare any questions you have about the Produce Safety Rule or food safety practices.
More information
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What do Colorado farmers think about the produce safety farm visits?
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When asked 89% of farmers who participated in an On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) thought that the visit gave them better knowledge of the Produce Safety Rule and how it applied to their farm. They also reported that being able to discuss their practices one on one allowed for a better understanding of potential risks and provided practical ideas for improvements to their practices.
"I would encourage other growers to utilize the OFRR. By reviewing food safety plans and practices on your farm during an OFRR, you’ll be able to remedy any problems to become compliant and you’ll be able to know your systems are resulting in safe food."
- Colorado produce grower
"The OFFR identified some risks that I had not previously seen and I was able to make some easy changes that reduced those risks and I feel a lot more confident about our food safety program." - Colorado produce grower
Contact Cristy Dice with questions.
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|| Education & Training ||
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Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Course Options
Colorado does not have any courses scheduled until Fall 2021 but there are other virtual options available.
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Produce Safety Alliance Online Training
Offered by the Produce Safety Alliance as a three-week course that can be completed at your own pace. The online course is expected to take 15-30 hours for successful completion.
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Remote Delivery Course
The same course CSU Extension has been offering but taught by educators in other states in real time. Instructors use video conferencing software, such as Zoom or Webex. This is a temporary option that is being supported during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Webinar: Understanding USDA GAP Audits in Colorado
May 25, 2021
4-5pm, MST
Join us to learn about the USDA GAP fruit and vegetable audit programs and determine which will meet your buyer's requirements. Presented by the Colorado Department of Agriculture Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Service.
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Colorado produce farms must register with the Colorado Department of Agriculture
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The Colorado Produce Safety Program, administered by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, registers and inspects facilities that grow, harvest, pack or hold produce that is commonly consumed raw.
Farms that grow produce and sell over $28,075 over a 3-year rolling average are required by Colorado state statute to register with the Colorado Department of Agriculture. There is no cost to register and the online registration process is quick and easy.
For more information or questions about registration please reach out to program staff at produce.safety@state.co.us or 303-869-9284.
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Produce Safety Alliance grower training certificates do not expire
From the Produce Safety Alliance
After attending the PSA Grower Training, participants are eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and the PSA that verifies they have completed the course. We’ve been receiving emails from course participants wondering when their certificate expires and when they’re required to retake the course. While continued professional development on produce safety topics is encouraged, there is no requirement to attend the PSA Grower Training more than once and the PSA-AFDO Certificate of Course Completion does not expire. We do welcome people to attend twice if they want to refresh their training or feel it would benefit their farm operation, but this is not required.
If you’ve misplaced your certificate and would like to order a replacement, instructions can be found on the AFDO website.
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FDA Clarifies FSMA Produce Safety Rule Annual Training Expectations for Supervisors and Responsible Parties
From the Produce Safety Alliance
The excerpt below is provided by the FDA Division of Produce Safety:
“Recently we received several questions regarding FDA’s expectations for supervisors and responsible parties who completed training at least equivalent to the standardized curriculum and annual training requirements. Read more
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Have a produce safety question?
Submit your question or contact Cristy Dice: Cristy.L.Dice@colostate.edu
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Colorado’s Produce Safety Collaborative is part of the CSU Extension program and made up of 5 organizations collaborating to bring the most up-to-date produce safety information, training and education to Colorado’s produce growers and other industry stakeholders.
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