An innovative partnership between the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), Sysco Corporation and PrimusLabs.com is helping provide food safety training to small growers across the US to help increase their fresh produce sales.
Local growers across the country have been invited to participate in a series of workshops that are designed to help them understand current food safety demands, how to meet them and how to navigate food safety requirements.
The first workshop, held in Portland on 11 August this year, drew over 40 growers, with further dates set for workshops in Orlando, southern California and the midwest.
In addition to addressing the realities of modern food safety mandates, attendees also get tips from a number of third-party auditing organisations on how to prepare for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits and follow-ups.
'PMA is committed to bringing real-world solutions to our industry's food safety needs to all produce operators, no matter the size, but we know small growers in particular can face a hard time accessing the information and resources they need,' said PMA chief science and technology officer Bob Whitaker. 'Meanwhile, demand for locally-grown produce has significantly increased, creating a big need for this kind of educational programming that we are proud to help meet.'
No comments yet