Southern Region Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training: Using Pre- and Post-Training Knowledge Assessments to Understand Training Effectiveness

Keith R Schneider; Mari Schroeder; Alan Gutierrez; Karuna Kharel; Renée Goodrich Schneider; Amy Harder; Amanda Philyaw Perez; Kristin Woods; Laurel L Dunn; Paul Priyesh; Christopher Gunter; Elena Rogers; Chip Simmons; Lynette Johnston; Chad Carter; Thomas M Taylor; Alejandro Castillo; Juan Anciso; Joseph Masabni; Laura K Strawn; Amber Vallotton; Katelynn Stull; Taylor O'Bannon; Michelle D Danyluk

doi:10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100266

Southern Region Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training: Using Pre- and Post-Training Knowledge Assessments to Understand Training Effectiveness

J Food Prot. 2024 Mar 15;87(5):100266. doi: 10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100266. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Keith R Schneider¹, Mari Schroeder², Alan Gutierrez³, Karuna Kharel³, Renée Goodrich Schneider³, Amy Harder⁴, Amanda Philyaw Perez⁵, Kristin Woods⁶, Laurel L Dunn⁷, Paul Priyesh⁸, Christopher Gunter⁹, Elena Rogers⁹, Chip Simmons⁹, Lynette Johnston⁹, Chad Carter¹⁰, Thomas M Taylor¹¹, Alejandro Castillo¹², Juan Anciso¹³, Joseph Masabni¹⁴, Laura K Strawn¹⁵, Amber Vallotton¹⁶, Katelynn Stull³, Taylor O'Bannon³, Michelle D Danyluk²

Affiliations

¹ Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. Electronic address: keiths29@ufl.edu.
² Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA.
³ Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁴ Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
⁵ Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR 72204, USA.
⁶ Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University, Linden, AL 36748, USA.
⁷ Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
⁸ Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
⁹ North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
¹⁰ Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
¹¹ Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
¹² Department of Food Science and Technology, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
¹³ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Weslaco, TX 78596, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Dallas, TX 75252, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Food Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
¹⁶ School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.

PMID: 38493874
DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100266

Abstract

The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) grower training was introduced in 2016 as the standardized curriculum to meet the training requirements of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act's (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR). The PSR states that at least one supervisor or responsible party from each farm must have successfully completed this food safety training or one equivalent to the standardized curriculum, as recognized by the FDA. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PSA trainings conducted between 2017 and 2019 in the Southern United States by the Southern Regional Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach, and Technical Assistance by analyzing pre- and posttest assessments. Effectiveness was based on a 25-question knowledge assessment administered to participants before (n = 2494) and after (n = 2460) each training. The knowledge assessment indicated the overall effectiveness of the training, with average scores increasing significantly from pretest (15.9/25, 63.4%) to posttest (20.3/25, 81.3%) (P < 0.001). The greatest knowledge gains were seen in the Postharvest Handling and Sanitation, How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan, and Agricultural Water modules. Notably, these modules had lower posttest scores compared to the other modules, indicating that the amount of knowledge gained did not necessarily correspond with a sufficient understanding of the material. To ensure that participants understand all aspects of the PSR and best practices to minimize food safety risks, additional or advanced trainings may be needed. Additionally, the current testing instrument (pre-/posttest) used for PSA grower training, while validated, may not be optimal, thus alternative methods to assess the training effectiveness are likely needed.

Keywords: Assessment; Knowledge; Produce Safety Alliance Training; Produce Safety Rule.