Presented by Dr. Rodney Holcomb, this first of two introductory webinars will introduce general food safety principles for a fruit and vegetable farm; microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) that are of concern in fresh produce; the common ways produce is contaminated and how contamination is spread; basic strategies to prevent and reduce exposure of produce to microorganisms/human pathogens. Critical Concepts include: basic introduction to the Food Safety Modernization Act; how to conduct basic risk assessments; basic introduction to Good Agricultural Practices and Standard Operating Procedures; the value of a food safety plan and basic steps in monitoring, recordkeeping and taking corrective action.

This first of a two-part series will discuss very specific legal issues pertaining to farms that grow produce (fruits and vegetables) in Indian Country and will provide key discussion points to ensure differences in jurisdiction and authority are identified; we will also assist the Tribal producer or those producing food on Indian Country lands in identifying and spotting key issues that face us as unique producers.

This second of a two-part series will discuss very specific legal issues pertaining to farms that grow produce (fruits and vegetables) in Indian Country and will provide key discussion points to ensure differences in jurisdiction and authority are identified; we will also assist the Tribal producer or those producing food on Indian Country lands in identifying and spotting key issues that face us as unique producers.

In this webinar, we will review the Food Safety Modernization Act final rule for Preventive Controls for Animal Food and the key requirements necessary to reach compliance under the rule. We will also discuss the Current Good Manufacturing Practices for animal food production; analysis of hazards and preventive controls for covered facilities; supply-chain programs, farm definitions, and the feed mill exemption for vertically integrated operations.

In the first of this two-part series on agricultural water, we will identify risks that impact food safety related to water sources; practices that can reduce those risks; FDA water quality criteria and the importance of water testing; necessary records to document agricultural water quality; required quality of water for harvest and postharvest activities; cross-contamination; and the practices to maintain and monitor the quality of water used in postharvest activities. We will also discuss the latest actions by FDA related to agricultural water standards.

In this second of a two-part series on agricultural water, we will identify risks that impact food safety related to water sources; practices that can reduce those risks; FDA water quality criteria and the importance of water testing; necessary records to document agricultural water quality; required quality of water for harvest and postharvest activities; cross-contamination; and the practices to maintain and monitor the quality of water used in postharvest activities. We will also discuss the latest actions by FDA related to agricultural water standards.

In this webinar, we will discuss ways to identify potential routes of food contamination associated with soil amendments; explain soil amendment practices and soil amendment strategies to reduce food safety risks; discuss corrective actions if soil amendment creates a risk; and identify proper recordkeeping for monitoring and managing soil amendments.

This webinar will discuss and identify potential routes of contamination in harvest and post-harvest settings including harvest, washing, storage, packing, cooling, and transportation. We will discuss key parts of pest control programs and key principles associated with cleaning and transporting produce as well as corrective actions that can be taken to reduce risk and key recordkeeping requirements.

This webinar will identify the basic ways wildlife and your own domesticated animals can effect your operation and also discuss basic practices to mitigate against the food safety risks animals may cause. The webinar will discuss management, monitoring and corrective actions to mitigate possible food pathogen contamination when you identify signs of animal intrusion.

This webinar will discuss how food safety plans and planning intersect with your business in two major business areas of growing produce: first, the importance of strong business and marketing plans and how the Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, rules impact your business and marketing plans; and second, the importance of adjusting your business plans in order to comply with FSMA principles and the key role that sound recordkeeping plays. Originally, there as an intent to address how producers can address the costs of problems of recalls should they ever have to confront such concerns, but including this information would have made the length of the webinar prohibitive, so that portion will be covered in a later webinar.

This webinar will introduce the producer to general principles of food microbiology and modern mechanisms for the discovery and prevention of microbial growth in foods. We will discuss the type and number of microorganisms in foods and the types of microorganisms in foods: bacteria, fungi, viruses and other agents, parasites, algae and others. We will discuss issues with food borne illness in certain types of foods, focusing on raw and ready-to-eat vegetables, fruits and nuts. We will identify the basic food borne illnesses resulting from microorganisms and human health impacts of such diseases.

In this second webinar, we will continue discussing microbiological principles; primary sources of microorganisms in foods, water, plants and plant products; food equipment and packaging materials; microorganisms in intestinal tracts of humans and animals; food ingredients; animals, birds and fish; air, dust and soil; sewage; and food handlers. We will discuss improper handling procedures affecting microbial growth in foods and discuss the side effects and impacts of food borne diseases. We will also discuss helpful prevention principles as well as techniques that are the underpinning of preventing food borne illness problems in modern food safety.

This is the first of two webinars that will introduce general food safety principles for a fruit and vegetable farm including: microorganisms that are of concern in fresh produce; the common ways produce is contaminated; how contamination is spread; and basic strategies to prevent and reduce exposure of produce to microorganisms/human pathogens.

This second of two introductory webinars will pick up where Part 1 left off and provide more detail to the producer on the wide variety of issues necessary to understand basic produce safety and becoming prepared for Food Safety Modernization Act compliance.

PROFIT webinar: “General Food Safety Liability and Introduction to Legal Issues in Marketing.” This webinar is part of our PROFIT risk management series that includes online webinars and in-person workshops focused on a variety of topics including food safety regulations, GAP certification, crop insurance and risk management tools.

This webinar is part of our PROFIT risk management series that includes eight webinars and eight in-person workshops focused on a variety of topics including food safety regulations, GAP certification, crop insurance and risk management tools.

This webinar is part of our PROFIT risk management series that includes online webinars and in-person workshops focused on a variety of topics including food safety regulations, GAP certification, crop insurance and risk management tools.