Progress 09/01/17 to 12/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this outreach grant arethe small fruit and vegetable processors in the state of Alabama. We also extend the invitation to other processors and manufacturers in the State. Although their traning is not covered by this grant, we believe that having all of them together can enhance the learning outcomes. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PC trainings for small fruit and vegetable processors, and food processors.. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes. To assess the training result, a post-training survey was delivered to the participants and their responses have been received. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
There were three hundred and sixty produce growers, produce processors and food processors identified from Alabama State Department pf Public Health Food Safety Division and Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry as the potential participants in our Preventive Controls for Human Food workshop. We sent out flyers to produce growers and processors, and food processors in the state of Alabama about 2 months through US Post Office mail before each workshop for announcing our workshop. The workshop training information was also posted on the College of Agriculture Event Webpage, Auburn University. Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension website and Face Book Page. At the end of this project, we have hosted 12 workshops in Auburn, Birmingham, Fairhope, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama. A total of 90 participants have been trained, obtained the certificate of Preventive Controls for Human Food and became Preventive Control Qualified Individuals. Most of produce production farms in Alabama are very small farms, which are exempt from the farm inspection. This may discourage the small farm growers from participating in the Preventive Controls for Human Foods training workshops resulting in the lower number of participants than what we proposed in this project. The Covid-19 pandemic mostly likely also affect the people from attending the face-to-face training workshops. We sent 56 post-training surveys to our workshop participants including 10 questions: 1) What is/are the main product(s) of your company? 2) How many employees do you have at your company/facility? 3) Did you take any other food safety trainings before? If yes, what are they? (We just need the names of the training). 4) Did your company/facility have a Food Safety Program before? 5) Does your company/facility have a Food Safety Program now? 6) What processes have you changed or added to your Food Safety Program as a result of this PCQI training? 7) What challenges or stumbling blocks still remain in your Food Safety Program or in your implementation of the Food Safety Program? 8) How can we assist you in meeting the Preventive Controls regulation? 9) Do you or your employees need additional training? If yes, what type of trainings do you or they need? and 10) Do you have any other questions/concerns about the Preventive Controls regulation? Since most of the farmers are very small and are exempt from the inspection, we only received 3 responses. They indicated that they had a food safety plan and have thoroughly reviewed their safety programs and updated where needed. They also indicated that they would like the information of any food safety related training programs that we offer in the future.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 12/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this outreach grant are the small fruit and vegetable processors in the state of Alabama. As the information gets out about the need for the training, we anticipate more participants from target groups. We also extend the invitation to other processors and manufacturers in the State. Although their training is not covered by this grant, we believe that having all of them together can enhance the learning outcomes. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Alabama Cooperative Extension System with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry informed produce growers of the Produce Safety Rule workshops and as well as with the Alabama Department of Public Health to inform all the produce processors and food processors in regards to the Preventive Controls in Human Food training. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This grant will be ended on December 31, 2020 and we will prepare the final report for submitting to the grant agency USDA-NIFA.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
From September to December 2020, we sent out workshop flyers to around 350 Alabama produce growers, produce processors and food processors and hosted two Preventive Controls for Human Food workshops in Auburn and Mobile, Alabama. A total of 13 participants have been trained, obtained the certificate of Preventive Controls for Human Food, and became Preventive Control Qualified Individuals. The following two workshops were completed in the last period of this project: Auburn, Alabama: September 21-23, 2020 with 9 participants. Mobile, Alabama: October 7-9, 2020 with 4 participants.
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this outreach grant are the small fruit and vegetable processors in the state of Alabama. As the information gets out about the need for the training, we anticipate more participants from target groups. We also extend the invitation to other processors and manufacturers in the State. Although their training is not covered by this grant, we believe that having all of them together can enhance the learning outcomes. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Providing Preventive Controls for Human Food trainings to small produce producers and processors for developing a food safety plan in their establishments to improve food safety. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The list of Alabama produce growers and processors was obtained from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry and Alabama Department of Public Health. The Preventive Controls in Human Food training workshops flyers were delivered to produce growers and processors though US Post Office mail, and the training information was also announced in the Produce Safety Rule workshops. . What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two additional training workshops will be held in September at Auburn, Alabama and in October 2020 in Mobile, Alabama, respectively. We will send out the Post Training Survey questions to all trained farmers and analyze the data.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In this grant, we proposed to have 12 Preventive Controls for Human Food workshops for farmers in Alabama. We have hosted 10 workshops and scheduled two more workshops in May and June 2020 to complete this project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System prohibited face-to-face activities until the end of June. These two workshops were postponed to July and August; however, the no face-to-face activity policy was extended to August. Therefore, the workshops will not be finished by the end of August 2020. We have filed a request and received approval extending the grant end date to December 31, 2020. Workshops on September 21-23 and October 7-9 2020 are scheduled in Auburn and Mobile, Alabama, respectively. About 400 workshop flyers have been sent out to produce growers and processors and food processors in Alabama. We also sent 56 post-training surveys including 10 questions: 1) What is/are the main product(s) of your company? 2) How many employees do you have at your company/facility? 3) Did you take any other food safety trainings before? If yes, what are they? (We just need the names of the training). 4) Did your company/facility have a Food Safety Program before? 5) Does your company/facility have a Food Safety Program now? 6) What processes have you changed or added to your Food Safety Program as a result of this PCQI training? 7) What challenges or stumbling blocks still remain in your Food Safety Program or in your implementation of the Food Safety Program? 8) How can we assist you in meeting the Preventive Controls regulation? 9) Do you or your employees need additional training? If yes, what type of trainings do you or they need? and 10) Do you have any other questions/concerns about the Preventive Controls regulation? Since most of the farmers are very small and are exempt from the inspection, we only received 3 responses. They indicated that they had a food safety plan and have thoroughly reviewed their safety programs and updated where needed. They also indicated that they would like the information of any food safety related training programs that we offer. ?
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences of this outreach grant are the small fruit and vegetable processors in the state of Alabama. As the information gets out about the need for the training, we anticipate more participants from target groups. We also extend the invitation to other processors and manufacturers in the State. Although their training is not covered by this grant, we believe that having all of them together can enhance the learning outcomes. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry informed produce growers in the Produce Safety Rule workshops and Alabama Department of Public Health informed that all the produce processors to have the Preventive Controls in Human Food training. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two additional training workshops will be held in January at Auburn and in May at Birmingham, Alabama for the year of 2020. Two additional workshops will be offered in 2020. We will send out the Post Training Survey questions to all trained farmers and analyze the data.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We received a list of produce growers, produce processors and food processors from Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industry and Alabama Department of Public Health and sent out workshop flyers to around 250 people in the list for the workshops in six different areas in the state of Alabama. A total of 51 participants have been trained, obtained the certificate of Preventive Controls for Human Food and become Preventive Control Qualified Individual. The following six workshops were completed in the second year of this project: 1. Montgomery: September 25-27, 2018 with 4 participants from food processors. 2. Birmingham: October 30 to November 1, 2018 with 9 participants from farmers and food processors. 3. Auburn: January 7-9, 2019 with 16 participants from farmers and food processors. 4. Fairhope: June 3-5, 2019 with 12 participants from farmers. 5. Huntsville: July 17-19, 2019 with 4 participants from food processors. 6. Montgomery: August 5-7, 2019 with 6 participants from farmers and food processors.
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Produce growers, samll and very small produce processors, and other food processors in the Alabama state. Changes/Problems:The original project director, Dr. Luxin Wang, left Auburn University to University of California-Davis in March 2018, and Dr. Tung-Shi Huang took over the grant in May 2018. Due to the transition, two training worshops were delayed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Alabama Department of Public Health will be informed that all the processors have completed the training. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Two additional training workshops will be held in October at Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama for the year of 2018. Six additional workshops will be offered in 2019.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The team has already identified the major locations for the training workshops at Auburn, Birmingham, Gadsden, Headland, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery in the Alabama. A total of 374 produce growers, produce processors and food processors from Alabama State Department of Public Health Food Safety Division was identified in January 2018. We sent out around 200 flyers for our Preventive Controls for Human Food workship to produce growers and processors, and food processors in the state of Alabamam. Four workshops at Birmingham, Auburn, Huntsville and Mobile were held and 25 people have been trained and become preventive control qualified individuals (PCQI). These PCQIs are able to write food safety plans for food processing plants. The Following five post training survey questions were created and the post trainning survey will be performed within 60-90 days after the completion of training. 1. What processes have you changed or added because of the training course? 2. What challenges or obstacles are remain in your Preventive Controls program? 3. How can we sassist you in meeting the Preventive Controls regulations? 4. Do you need additional training? 5. Do you need a one-on-one sessions from a Preventive Controls-trained Alabama Cooporative Extension System food safety Team member? To better assist the processors in the field, the project team includes nine Auburn University food safety regional extension agents who became PCQIs in Spring 2017.
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