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Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training, Farm Food Safety Plan Writing, and GroupGAP

• Thursday, March 19, 2026, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Friday, March 20, 2026, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA), in partnership with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), has a new project to increase understanding and implementation of food safety practices on fruit and vegetable farms across NY and participation in GroupGAP. To maintain and expand access to markets (e.g., grocery stores, wholesale markets, restaurants), produce growers are often expected to meet regulatory requirements outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) and pass third-party Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) audits. These requirements are intended to minimize food safety risks associated with the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of fresh produce. The time and expense associated with meeting these requirements can be a barrier. This workshop will give growers the background knowledge to assess risks, implement practices to reduce risks, and tools to develop a written Farm Food Safety Plan (FFSP). Sometimes working cooperatively through GroupGAP is a good option for some growers, so GroupGAP information will also be provided.

This two-day training will include a PSA Grower Training (day 1), development of a personalized written FFSP and discussion of third-party audits including the GroupGAP audit program. Day two will include discussion of GroupGAP, writing a farm food safety plan and an on-farm mock audit to understand how the GAP audit process works.

To receive the AFDO/PSA Grower Training Certificate of Completion, participants must attend all of day 1. Attending Day 2 is optional but is highly encouraged for farms interested in writing a Farm Food Safety Plan, becoming GAP-audit certified, and learning about Group GAP.

You must bring a laptop to Day 2 of the training.

There is a fee of $20 for NY residents and $145 for non NY residents that will include lunch, training materials, and AFDO/PSA Certificate of Course completion.

This project is supported by USDA-NYSDAM 24SCBPNY1255-00

Registration is required three business days prior to each training to ensure that trainers are able to have training manuals and other materials for all attendees.

If you are uncertain whether the course is for you, you are welcome to contact Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu or (607) 584-5007.

Fee

$20

Register

https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/2026GroupGAPtrainings_203

Location

Roycroft Power House
39 South Grove St
East Aurora, NY 14052

Last updated February 8, 2026