July 12, 2022
Hello Produce Safety Alliance Listserv Members:
We hope that you are enjoying your summer! We know it has been a few months, but this newsletter is worth the wait and chock full of updates, including an introduction to our new Northwest Regional Extension Associate and a recap of several PSA workshops. Read below for several important updates, resources, training opportunities, and a survey!
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Welcome to our Newest PSA Team Member! |
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Please join us in welcoming PSA’s newest team member, Collins Bugingo! Collins joined the PSA full-time on July 1, 2022 as the Northwest Regional Extension Associate. Collins has a passion for helping growers implement scientifically proven practices to improve productivity and profitability in a sustainable manner. This passion stems from his upbringing where his family farmed a piece of land in Uganda. Collins has training and experience in general agriculture, extension education, and plant sciences with an associate, bachelor's, MSc. and a Ph.D. degree in extension, plant sciences, and plant pathology. A previous experience working with a fresh produce export company as the phyto-sanitary officer piqued Collins’ interest in helping fresh produce growers, export companies, and other stakeholders develop and implement practices to ensure produce safety. He is excited to be able to do the same with growers, packers, regulatory personnel, educators, and others interested in the safety of fresh produce in the Northwest and beyond.
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PSA's Training Extravaganza -- a Recap! |
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PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop |
The PSA and FSMA Southern Center successfully hosted a PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop on June 14-16, 2022 at the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Twenty-two participants attended the workshop packed with lectures, hands-on activities, and breakout groups. Group activities included monitoring a compost pile, taking ATP swabs of packinghouse equipment, assessing an agricultural water source, titrating a postharvest water sample to monitor chlorine content, and discussing ways that these activities could be used in future PSA courses – plus much more! |
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PSA Grower Training Courses to the Dragon Fruit industry in Mexico
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In coordination with Mexican collaborators, Davis Blasini and Ricardo Orellana delivered three PSA Grower Training Courses in Quintana Roo, Mexico during the week of May 23rd. These courses were delivered to 94 dragon fruit growers and technicians from Southern Mexico, and were intended to help underserved Mayan community members understand food safety expectations and gain access to the American market by meeting food safety requirements. Two of the courses were held in Spanish, and one course was delivered in Mayan using the PSA Alternative Language Delivery Policy.
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Western Regional Center Professional Development Workshop |
Donna Clements, Davis Blasini, and Mariana Villarreal Silva joined collaborators from the University of Arizona, New Mexico State University, and the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety (WRCEFS) to host a one-day professional development workshop on May 3, 2022, before the WRCEFS annual meeting. This workshop included an agricultural water assessment scavenger hunt on the NMSU research farm, and in the afternoon, a classroom-based cleaning and sanitizing infrastructure assessment and presentation on recall readiness resources. |
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Upcoming PSA Remote Train-the-Trainer Courses |
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Three PSA remote TTT Courses have been posted to the PSA website (two in English, one in Spanish). If you know anyone who is interested in becoming a PSA Trainer, please share these upcoming trainings!
Remote delivery course | NY, USA: 8/15/2022 - 8/18/2022
Remote delivery course | NY, USA: 8/29/2022 - 9/1/2022
Remote delivery course | NY, USA: 10/17/2022 - 10/20/2022
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Korean Translation of the PSA Grower Training Curriculum |
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We are pleased to announce that the Korean translation of the PSA Grower Training manual has been completed and is now available on the PSA website. Thank you to Luis Sierra (California Center for Cooperative Development), Sung Chol Yun (FSTI Co., LTD) and Andrew Park (iFoodimports) who worked to make this translation happen, with the support of the USDA NIFA Food Safety Outreach Project (FSOP) program. All PSA Trainers have access to these PowerPoint slides (via the same link as the other translations) and can download the PDFs for commercial printing. Additionally, the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and factsheet are now available in Korean. Along with the Korean translation of the PSA Training Manual, our library of language translations includes Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese, with plans to add Ilocano soon.
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Environmental Monitoring Survey |
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The CONTACT produce safety team has developed a survey to gather information on environmental monitoring programs used in produce operations. It is anonymous and requires less than 10 minutes. The results of this survey will drive the CONTACT research and extension efforts on this topic. The survey can be found here: https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e52Flgok6Aq2mkR. |
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USDA GAP Audit 101 Virtual Workshops (Available in English and Spanish) |
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Join National Farmers Union and Food Safety CTS for a USDA GAP Audit 101: Tools for Growers virtual workshop, discussing the basic requirements of this verification program and sharing tools and best practices for small and medium-scale growers. In English (Tuesday, July 12) and Spanish (Tuesday, July 19) from 12:30-5 PM EST. Registration is required.
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'What's Bugging You' First Fridays |
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Cornell University’s New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program hosts a monthly IPM webinar called “ What’s Bugging You First Fridays”. Each month, experts share practical information and answer questions on using IPM to avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn, and play. The webinar is on the first Friday of every month from 12:00-12:30pm EST (in English) and 12:30-1pm EST (in Spanish). A list of recordings from previous webinars and registration for upcoming events (including “Do’s and Don’ts for ladybugs in the garden”) can be found at the above website. |
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Job Opportunity – NECAFS Research Specialist |
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The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) seeks a Research Specialist to conduct literature-based reviews on the subject of produce safety, interpret research findings and create educational materials that will provide research-based solutions to fruit and vegetable producers. Please view and apply for the position at UVM Jobs.
They seek candidates with a background in produce safety and literature-based research. Candidates should be skilled at gathering and reviewing food safety related material for relevancy and accuracy for the intended audience. This position will be part of team where all members work remotely so should be skilled at communicating and coordinating with teleconferencing platforms and working remotely. Additional job responsibilities and qualifications are listed in the job posting.
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