Food Safety Modernization Act (fsma) Related Food Safety Education and Outreach For Hard-to-reach Audiences in The Pacific Northwest and Alaska Using Current Land-grant University Extension System

Goal: The Goal of the proposed Multistate Education and Training Project is to provide FSMA- related food safety education and outreach programs tailored for very small and small-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged and isolated farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers in the Pacific Northwest region including Alaska.OBJECTIVES The proposed project will engage county and state farmers market associations, fresh produce associations, and state regulatory agencies to reach the target audiences and to promote efficient education and outreach programs. Our specific objectives are to:Objective 1: Study the level of preparedness of the target audiences for FSMA rules and the rates of exemption and qualified exemption from FSMA compliance requirements.Objective 2: Develop customized training and education materials on an interactive web module using each university's extension website to provide FSMA-related information and
critical updates, webinars for isolated and remote target audiences, DVDs, FSMA document forms, and an educational booklet.Objective 3: Provide FSMA-related food safety information such as Food Safety Plan and Standard for Produce Safety (not FSMA-certified training) to target audiences through statewide workshops in each state. This would be training that is relevant to small producers and sellers and would not cover the extent of the FSPCA or PSA-approved curriculum, although materials from those courses would be used.Objective 4: Establish a sub-regional food safety education network in conjunction with Western Regional Food Safety Center (WRFSC) to provide customized food safety information for hard-to-reach target audiences.Objective 5: Organize a western regional food safety community and pilot project directors meeting in accordance with WRFSC.