Series of FSMA webinars underway
Both the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and United Fresh are conducing a series of webinars about the Food Safety Modernization Act implementation rules.
The next two PMA webinars will be held Jan. 24 and are each called “Ask the FDA,” where officials from FDA will be available to speak and answer questions about the two rule implementation documents released Jan. 4. The first session, at 1 p.m. EST, will address the Produce Rule and the second session, at 2:15, will cover the Preventive Controls Rule.
The registration form for these webinars can be found at http://www.pma.com/FSMA_Webinars_Part2.
Two other webinars were held Jan. 17, called “10 Things You Need to Know About the Produce Rule” and “10 Things You Need to Know About Preventive Controls,” each led by Bob Whitaker, PMA chief scientific officer and Tom O’Brien, PMA government relations expert. PowerPoint slideshows from these presentations are available at PMA’s FSMA website. The produce rule presentation can be found at http://www.pma.com/fsma_produce_rule_webinar, while the preventive controls presentation is at http://www.pma.com/fsma_preventive_controls_rule_webinar.
United Fresh has teamed up with the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) to produce its two webinars.
The first webinar, which focuses on the Produce Rule, will be held Thursday, Feb. 7 at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST in partnership with the IAFP. The webinar is free for United members and registration can be completed online.
Featured speakers will be James Gorny, senior advisor, Office of Food Safety, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN); Kali Kniel, University of Delaware, vice chair of the IAFP Fruit and Vegetable Safety and Quality Professional Development Group; David Gombas, senior vice president, food safety and technology for United Fresh; and David Durkin, legal counsel, OFW Law.
The second webinar, which will cover the Produce Rule and the Preventive Controls Rule, is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 11 at 12-1:30 p.m. EST/9-10:30 a.m. PST in partnership with the Institute of Food Technologists. Registration can be completed online. This webinar has a registration charge of $49.
Featured speakers will be Samir Assar, director, produce safety staff, FDA CFSAN, Gorny of CFSAN and Gombas from United.
More information is available on the FSMA page of the United Fresh website. Members will also find resources about the FSMA proposed rules, including an FDA PowerPoint presentation summarizing the new rules, FDA fact sheets and the full text of both draft rules.
