Oregon Hosting Training for Berry Safety

Oregon is one of the best berry producing states in the nation and they’re hosting workshops this month to train producers, foreman and more on best practices for food safety.

Stephanie Page, Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Program Manager said, “It’s important for everyone in the food system to have a good understanding of fundamental principles of food safety. No one wants their food to make someone sick. So farmers are an important partner in making sure we have a safe food safety system all the way from the farm to the consumer.”

The series of workshops provided by OSU and sponsored by the Oregon Blueberry Commission is part of a wider effort in the state to train on-farm workers on proper handling of fruits and vegetables

Page said many of the principles of good food safety on the farm are incorporated into the Food Safety Modernization Act’s produce safety rule, which affects certain growers depending on their size and type of operation.

“Whether or not a farm is covered by that rule, it’s good for all farms to understand what’s in the Produce Safety Rule. They may grow into coverage someday or their buyers may ask them to meet the components of the rule whether it covers them or not.”

Sessions are in both English and Spanish.