Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality Professional Development Group

Webinars

• Produce Safety Risks and an Update on Two Ongoing Research Projects - Risks imposed by wild birds and risks associated with EHEC during post harvest leafy greens Mar 21, 2023

  Organized by the IAFP Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality PDG

  This webinar will focus on two ongoing research projects related to produce safety, "A holistic assessment of the food safety risks imposed by wild birds" and "quantifying risk associated with changes in the EHEC physiology during post harvest pre processing stages of leafy green production". The researchers will provide a synopsis of their current research including background, purpose, methodology and expected outcomes that may assist farmers with mitigating produce safety hazards. They will also discuss previous research that has led them to these research projects and future research that may evolve from these studies.

  
  Learning Objectives:
  1. Potential produce safety risks associated with wild birds
  2. Potential produce safety risks associated with changes in EHEC physiology during post-harvest pre-processing stages of leafy green production.
  3. Potential connections between researchers and industry related to the aforementioned topics

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  Presenters

  • Teresa Bergholz, Presenter Michigan State University
  • Daniel Karp, Presenter University of California- Davis
  • Kristin Esch, Moderator FDA and Chair of the Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality PDG
• Foundations of Produce Safety in Hydroponic and Aquaponic Operations Apr 26, 2022

  Organized by the Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality Professional Development Group

  Hydroponic and aquaponic crop production systems are growing in popularity, number, and scale. Many of these operations may be covered under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule or be subject to third-party audits, raising questions among growers, Extension professionals, researchers, and consultants about produce safety hazards, risk assessment, and other considerations in these operations. In this webinar, we will introduce the diversity of hydroponic and aquaponic operations, key concepts for produce safety risk assessment, and primary considerations for FSMA Produce Safety Rule compliance. We will also solicit feedback from the audience about their experiences and questions regarding produce safety in hydroponics and aquaponics.

  Learning Objectives:
  • Understand the diversity among hydroponic and aquaponic (HP/AP) operations and what these growing systems look like.
  • Gain awareness of key topic areas relevant to produce safety in HP/AP operations.
  • Understand the primary considerations relevant to FSMA Produce Safety Rule compliance in HP/AP operations.
  • Participants share experiences and perceived educational and research needs, contributing to future programming and materials development.

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  Presenters

  • Sean Fogarty, Presenter University of Vermont - Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety
  • Gretchen Wall, Moderator International Fresh Produce Association
• Food Safety Practices on U.S. Produce Farms Before FSMA Jun 3, 2019

  Before FSMA's Produce Rule was implemented, USDA’s Economic Research Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service surveyed produce growers about their food safety practices. These survey data provide USDA’s first update of national food safety practices since 1999 and since microbial contamination of produce became widely recognized and researched. At the time of the survey, many growers who would be covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) already had some food safety practices in place. Of these, larger growers had adopted food safety practices at higher rates than smaller growers, and small farms required more changes to meet the PSR standards than large farms.

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  Supplemental Documents

  Changes in U.S. produce grower food safety practices from 1999 to 2016

  Food Safety Requirements for Produce Growers: Retailer Demands and the Food Safety Modernization Act, Economic Information Bulletin No. 206

  Presenters

  • Gregory Astill, Speaker USDA Economic Research Service
  • Travis Minor, Speaker USDA Economic Research Service
  • Suzanne Thornsbury, Speaker USDA Economic Research Service
  • Gretchen Wall, Moderator Produce Safety Alliance Coordinator, Cornell University
• "FDA’s Proposed FSMA Produce Rule" Webinar - Learn from the Experts Feb 7, 2013

  International Association for Food Protection teamed up with the United Fresh Produce Association to bring together this webinar providing details about the FDA’s proposed Produce Rule under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The webinar offers insights and analysis of the draft FSMA rules from the FDA, university experts, food safety leaders and legal counsel.

  Co-hosted by the International Association for Food Protection and United Fresh Produce Association

  Organized by the Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality PDG

  Presenters

  • Dr. James Gorny Senior Advisor, Office of Food Safety, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
  • David Durkin Legal Counsel, OFW Law