The next step in your on-farm produce safety work: On-Farm Readiness Review
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EmailThe Michigan on-farm produce safety team helps Michigan produce growers assess their farm’s readiness related to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
Michigan fresh produce growers who have attended a Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule Training have a better grasp on the requirements of the law. Understanding the Produce Safety Rule is half of the challenge, the other part is knowing how to assess your farm for compliance with the laws.
The On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) Program was developed to support growers in their efforts to assess their readiness for full compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule laws. An OFRR will allow a fresh produce grower to walk around their own farm with a team of trained professionals to review their general production practices in reference to produce safety. This walk through will help a grower gauge how ready they are for a Produce Safety Rule inspection and also give them ideas about how to make inexpensive changes if necessary to meet the new food safety requirements. The On-Farm Readiness Review Program is a voluntary and confidential service, and provided at no cost to growers.
A key starting point to requesting an On-Farm Readiness Review is attending the Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training. Although the Produce Safety Training is not required to request an OFRR, it is highly recommended. The one-day Produce Safety Rule Training course introduces the key concepts about food safety that the FSMA Produce Safety Rule regulates. Growers who are subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule will need to attend a produce safety training as part of the requirments of the law, and during an OFRR, all conversations relate back to the information presented in a grower training course.
To request an On-Farm Readiness Review for your farm, click this link, or contact Heather Borden, the Michigan Produce Safety Logistics Coordinator at bordenhe@msu.edu.
