(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - The Alaska Division of Agriculture has been offering On-Farm Food Safety Workshops throughout the state over the past year and will hold additional workshops based on community interest. The purpose of these workshops is to educate growers about food safety practices in the field and after harvest to minimize risk of food-borne illnesses.

These workshops provide information, resources, and if possible, on-site examples for producers to learn about good agricultural practices to ensure food safety practices at a farm or garden. The workshops also will help educate farmers about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act.

The workshops target growers selling to retail stores or farmers’ markets, home gardeners, and anyone else who is interested in learning more about how to grow, handle, and distribute fresh produce safely.

“Growers can make small, affordable changes to help minimize risk on their farm, and that is what we cover during these workshops,” says Barb Hanson, agriculture inspector for the Division of Agriculture.

To date, workshops have been offered in Fairbanks, Palmer, Homer, Kenai, Skagway, Haines, Juneau, and Sitka.

If your community is interested in hosting a workshop, please email Johanna Herron [johanna.herron@alaska.gov] or Barb Hanson [barbara.hanson@alaska.gov].

On the Web:

Information about the Food Safety Modernization Act
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Natural Resources - Division of Agriculture
http://dnr.alaska.gov

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