The Law of the Produce Safety Rule

Course Code: FSC 853

Credits: 3 credits

This course is not offered in 2024.

IFLR partners with MSU Extension to include an optional Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training portion within this course. Students who opt-in and successfully meet all criteria will be eligible to receive a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Certificate.

The Produce Safety Alliance grower training certificate content is specifically designed to provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) which emphasizes both food safety and environmental management goals, while outlining the requirements mandated in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Students will learn how to identify and reduce risks by drafting farm food safety plans. The focus from farm to fork enhances overall marketplace safety.

This course also prepares industry professionals to take on regulatory leadership within their organizations, by providing an overview of the legislative and regulatory processes through an in-depth look at the relationship between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), industry, consumer interest groups, and scientific communities. Students will learn the major provisions of the rule, evaluate FDA’s limitations, examine current issues in food law, and explore the intersection of science and law.

All reading assignments will be available as downloads within the modules, via URLs, or through the Produce Safety Alliance grower training manual.

Students participating in the PSA certificate component must:

Pay $65 for the PSA grower's manual by August 2, 2024. This purchase is mandatory per PSA policy. Click here to order the book.
Attend online Zoom sessions on Monday nights at 6:00 pm (Eastern Daylight Time) for 8-10 weeks. PSA requires 100% attendance at modules.
Pay a $35 admin fee at the end of the course. IFLR will forward the payment to PSA for the certificate (a link will be provided near the end of the course).

Topics covered include the following:

Overview of FSMA
Introduction to Produce Safety and Risk Assessment for Public Health
Worker Health, Hygiene and Training Practices
Soil Amendments
Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
Agricultural Water, Production Water, and Post-Harvest Water
Post-Harvest Handling and Sanitation
How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan
Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption
Covered Facilities and Variances
Withdrawal of a Qualified Facility Exemption
Compliance and Enforcement

Schedule:

This course is offered in the fall semester of even-numbered years (but not in 2024).

Tips for first time enrollees:

Here is the direct link to apply: https://explore.msu.edu/apply/

Make sure you choose “first-time user” and then “NON-DEGREE” from the dropdown. There is no application fee for our program, so if you get to an area where it asks you to pay an application fee, then you are not in the correct process. Also, DO NOT CLICK THE BOX that asks if you are going to be taking classes in the global food law program. That question is referring to courses through the College of Law and saying “yes” to that question will only delay your application processing."