Produce Safety Training for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Begins Dec. 13

By Andre Salazar

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Safe Produce Program will host produce safety training for fruit and vegetable farmers beginning in December and concluding in April 2025.

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved produce safety education program for farmers growing and harvesting fruits and vegetables for human consumption with intent to enter the commercial market or public distribution. The training is suitable for commercial fruit and vegetable growers, home produce gardeners and other produce enthusiasts to learn and understand produce safety as defined in the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule and Good Agricultural Practices standards.

For commercial fruit and vegetable growers, the PSA Grower Training course satisfies the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in §112.22(c): “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.”

Home produce gardeners and produce enthusiasts will acquire the produce safety knowledge and practices to assure fruits and vegetables grown and harvested in their garden are safe for human consumption.    

The PSA Grower Training course event registration fee is $20 USD for Iowa fruit and vegetable producers and their employees and $120 USD for others. The fee cost includes course attendance, a PSA Grower Training manual, and an American Food and Drug Officials certificate of completion.

Remote online events will be on Dec. 13, 2024, and Feb. 7, 2025, in Zoom format.

In-person events will be on March 13, 2025, at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Linn County office in Hiawatha, and on April 4, 2025, at the ISU Extension and Outreach Warren County office in Indianola.

Registration for a PSA Grower Training course event can be found on the Iowa State University Safe Produce website in the “Events” tab. Select a preferred event and complete the online registration form and pay the registration fee with a credit card.

This project is funded by the State and Territory Cooperative Agreement to Enhance Produce Safety in Preparation of Implementation of FDA’s Rule: Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, through FDA grant 1U18FD005810-01 (CFDA #93.102-Food and Drug Administration Research).