Fruits, Vegetables and FSMA Compliance: Multilingual Audiovisual Food Safety Training for Farms and Packinghouses

The purpose of this project is to develop a multilingual food safety educational video training program for farm and packinghouse workers that will incorporate new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (21 CFR Part 112) requirements including those described in Subparts C and D. This project will build upon an existing food safety training video (Fruits, Vegetables, and Food Safety: Health and Hygiene on the Farm) for workers developed by the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program personnel at Cornell University in 2004.The new FSMA Produce Safety Rule establishes science-based minimum standards for safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce on farms. New standards were introduced for worker training, and health and hygiene requirements. These standards establish qualification and training requirements for all personnel who handle covered produce or food-contact surfaces and their supervisors (§§ 112.21, 112.22, and 112.23), call for documentation of required training (§ 112.30), and implement hygienic practices and other measures needed to prevent persons from contaminating produce with microorganisms of public health significance (§§ 112.31, 112.32). It is also important to note that there are requirements for visitors as well (§ 112.33).Produce growers and packinghouse owners subject to the rule will need to comply with FSMA and meet worker-training requirements. Though most farms will fall under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, some packinghouse owners may find they are subject to the FSMA Preventive Controls Rule for Human Food that specifies that education and training are now binding: "Management is required to ensure that all employees who manufacture, process, pack, or hold food are qualified to perform their assigned duties. Such employees must have the necessary combination of education, training, and/or experience necessary to manufacture, process, pack, or hold clean and safe food. Individuals must receive training in the principles of food hygiene and food safety, including the importance of employee health and hygiene". For these reasons, worker-training resources that are updated to include FSMA requirements will be needed by the produce industry to help them come into compliance with these new requirements.