Currently, small and mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers need assistance, information and…

Currently, small and mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, and small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers need assistance, information and training to be able to comply to the food safety modernization act (FSMA) in order to remain competitive and keep consumers safe. The aim of this collaborative project between college of the sequoias community college district and state center community college district as well as the central valley food safety committee is to grow training, education, outreach and coordination efforts for california's central valley farmers by providing local and affordable food safety trainings and industry meetings. The project will use class evaluations to track number of participant registrations, trainings delivered and knowledge increased. This data will be reported to stakeholders including the college of the sequoias board of trustees, industry partners, central valley food safety committee, as well as listed on the college website. The ultimate goals of this project are to: 1.) train individuals in food safety knowledge so that they can employ this knowledge on their farms and in their processing plants to ensure the safety of the consumers, 2.) increase collaboration between the industry partners in california's central valley through the central valley food safety committee and 3.) bring more food safety training to the large agriculture region in central california through collaboration with the university of florida.