Notes – December 20, 2011 Conference Call

Time – 3:00 – 4:00 PM EST

Produce Safety Alliance

Outreach: Regulators and Trainers

Co-Chairs:Anita MacMullan and Bill Miller

  1. Roll call for committee members present (12)

Anita MacMullan, Bill Miller, Michele Jay-Russell, Audrey Bauer, Jennifer Cripe, Johnna Hepner, Diane Hirsch, Luana Kiger, David McSwane, Phil Tocco, Giselle Guron, Betsy Bihn, Gretchen Wall

  1. Updates from Betsy & Gretchen
  2. Training Program Models
  • Federal training programs for regulators
  • Training Program Models may be easier to choose once the Produce Safety Rule is out after the New Year
  • USDA GAPs Auditor Training
  • Basic food safety training, focused on more commodity specific trainings
  • Seafood HACCP
  • Two tiered training format, Train the Trainer workshop
  • Refresher Trainings
  • Office of Regulatory Affairs Awards: Integrated Food Safety System Curriculum Program for regulators
  • For higher learning institutions
  • Updated curriculum material
  • Updating FDA’s current training on produce
  • ORA (Office of Regulatory Affairs) must align with PSA
  • Invitation for Will Dardek (sp?) to join next meeting, DHRD (Division of Human Resource Development- ORA’s training branch)
  1. Delineating basic components of a training program for regulators
  • What do they expect to get out of training?
  • Good working understanding of regulations critical for recommendations
  • Consistency to enforce regulations across the country
  • Consistency
  • Challenge: Trainers might not be in touch with agriculture, critical to include a tiered system of education depending on expertise
  1. Training Materials
  • Expectations
  • Must define training material versus reference material
  • Training material may become reference material later on after the training
  • Typical training materials for regulators
  • Train the trainer materials (other than guides for the trainees)
  • Web-based materials: YouTube video introductions will drive interest in learning more about training, UC Davis currently putting out videos now
  • Binders, the dust collectors
  1. Training Delivery
  • Initial Thoughts
  • We’ll need to decide on delivery methods before all the details of the new regulations come out
  • Regulators attend basic courses with growers, then move onto further training for their specific task
  • The Reason Behind the Regulations – powerful argument for industry and regulators to be trained together
  • Produce Safety Rule: Do we need to create content for different audiences?
  • Potential for a ‘base’ curriculum
  • Additional modules for different audiences
  • State by State
  • Small grower states might need different training since they may not be as likely to have to comply with the regulations (ie. Connecticut)
  • Tester Amendment
  • 186,000 farmers in the US, 85% fall under “small” category
  • Regional training
  • Identify a few regional trainings on a broad level, followed up by more granular training to specific groups
  • Face-to-Face
  • Proven as an effective means of training
  • Online
  • Treated as a method to deliver refresher courses?
  1. Certification of Training
  2. WC #10 is working through certification models

1. Training where you receive a certificate

2. Training where you receive a certification

  • Demonstrate competence for trainer to go out and regulate industry
  • More than just attending a course, must test knowledge
  • Juice/Seafood/Meat & Poultry: Certification not required for regulators
  • Inspectors go out with other inspectors, standardization
  • Auditing process, after course that would complete assessment that regulator has fully grasped the concept of regulating the industry
  1. Challenges:
  • Regulators potentially diverse experience/background
  • Different versions of the training (introduction, advanced, refresher)
  • Audience/class size
  • Case studies and other educational approaches may only work with small class sizes
  • Short courses: adding additional value by including food safety
  1. Next Meeting: Prioritize type of training materials for PSA to develop
  2. Schedule future meeting date and time
  • Doodle will be sent out with meeting minutes for mid/late January
  1. Adjourn: 4:00PM