May 24, 2016

GAP training available for Latino growers, farmworkers

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension will host the first of several Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) workshops in Spanish June 3-4. MSU Extension, in cooperation with Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS), will be hosting GAP workshops in Spanish throughout the 2016 crop season.

The June 3-4 workshop will consist of a half day of classroom training and a full day of hands-on session on a farm. The agenda for the workshop:

• Friday, June 3 – Classroom session:
  • Introduction to GAP to Minimize Food Safety Issues
  • Blueberry Pre and Post-harvest Microbial Contamination
  • Worker Health & Hygiene
  • Field Sanitation
  • Water Quality
• Saturday, June 4 – Hands-On Training:
  • USDA checklist-GAP MDA
  • How to develop your own food safety manual
  • How to conduct a Risk Assessment prior to a 3rd party audit

All training will be conducted by the fruit MSUE Produce Safety team members: Carlos García-Salazar, Phil Tocco, Anamaría Gómez-Rodas and Mark Longstroth, as well as Filiberto Villa from MIFFS as collaborator.

Growers and farmworkers participating in this training will receive a certificate of completion of training that will be valid to certify that they have completed the minimum requirement of seven hours of training on Good Agricultural Practices as requested by the new Food Safety Modernization Act.

There will be a recuperation fee of $30 per participant that will cover materials, refreshments and lunches. To register your workers or yourself, call Filiberto Villa at 269-830-2309.