Buying From Local Farms? What Do FSMA Rules Mean to Produce Buyers?On July 17, 2018 a team of regulators and produce safety educators from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are hosting an educational meeting for operations (distributors, schools, institutions, restaurants, grocery stores, foodservice operations, etc.) that buy fresh produce from farms in southern New England. This meeting will be regional in scope because fresh produce is often sold across state borders, with many customers having operations in two or all of these states.
Attendees will learn about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Preventive Controls for Human Food, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits and state produce inspection programs.
Do you buy local? If so, we would like to invite your produce buyer, supply chain manager and/or food safety or quality assurance personnel to attend.
The purpose of this meeting is to help you to understand what the new Produce Safety Rule means to both region’s farmers and to those who buy their product. How might it change (or not change) the way you do business?
The meeting is intended for buyers of local produce but farmers are encouraged to attend. This meeting will offer an opportunity for farmers to network with a wide variety of potential customers. Local farmers are encouraged to share this announcement with their wholesale customers. This meeting will an excellent opportunity for both parties to learn about issues each sector faces.
The meeting will be held at the Rome Ballroom on the University of Connecticut’s main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, from 9am to noon on Tuesday, July 17.
Agenda
- Welcoming remarks
- FSMA Explained (focus on the Produce Safety Rule related aspects of the Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule)
- State focused inspection and compliance programs
- Panel discussion: Buyers from a variety of operations will discuss how they address produce safety with their locally sourced fruits and vegetables
See attachment for registration information. There is no fee for participants, but you must preregister. Deadline for registration is July 10.
Feel free to share with others who may be interested.
If you have any questions, please contact: Diane Hirsch from the University of Connecticut Extension at diane.hirsch@uconn.edu or call 203-407-3163.