Produce safety alliance train-the-trainer course: Developing trainers to support fruit and vegetable growers

Abstract

In 2010, the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture with funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop a standardized curriculum and nationwide educational outreach program for growers to support understanding and implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR). To meet the national training need, the PSA established a Train-the-Trainer program to develop a cadre of qualified PSA Trainers and Lead Trainers to teach the PSA Grower Training Course. The training program officially launched in September 2016. The 2-day PSA Train-the-Trainer Course consists of the PSA Grower Training Course that includes seven modules that integrate good agricultural practices and the PSR requirements plus additional content to help prepare PSA Trainers to teach the material. PSA Train-the-Trainer Course participants were asked to complete a course evaluation to assess the quality of the curriculum and the adequacy of the training program for preparing them to deliver PSA Grower Training Courses. Information from the evaluations has been used to create additional resources to support growers and PSA Trainers.