Year: 2025

CDFA IT department honored for work on Produce Safety Program webpage

Posted in Announcements

CDFA’s Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) – working with the Inspection Services Division’s Produce Safety Program (PSP) – was recognized with five awards from the California Public Sector Chief Information Officer Academy for stellar work in government technology.

Three ITSD staff members received individual awards. Senior Project Manager Ed Lee was awarded for outstanding leadership and project management expertise as well as the ability to motivate and inspire those around him. Senior Project Manager Robin Root was awarded for exceptional leadership and organization acumen while fostering a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Technology Governance Section Chief Sherri Winfree was awarded for a proactive leadership style that sets a high standard and inspires her colleagues to excel.

A Project Implementation Team Award was given for CDFA’s launch of the PSP Portal, a groundbreaking farm and inspections data repository launched in August 2024. Completed on time, in scope and within budget, this transformational project positions California as a leader in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety, ensuring safer food production through technology-driven oversight. ITSD team members named in the photo, as well as Daniel Godinez and former CDFA employees Cyndi Reimer and Marc Grijalva, helped the project launch. Produce Safety Program members named in the photo, as well as Sarah Standiford and Benjamin Taylor, helped develop the project before ITSD made it live.

A Contracts and Procurement Team Award was given to CDFA’s Technology Governance Section (TGS) for playing a critical role in financial management, strategic planning, and project execution. Through strategic leadership and dedication, the TGS team has strengthened CDFA’s ability to implement innovative solutions, ensuring that technology, fiscal responsibility and sustainability align with California’s long-term conservation and development goals.

Click here to view this original CDFA Planting Seeds blog post.

Pictured: (Top) CDFA Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) Technology Governance Section Chief Sherri Winfree holds an award received for proactive leadership. (Middle) Members of CDFA ITSD staff (standing, L-R) Amar Hariharan, Trey White, Fredrick Gomez, Rudy Martinez and Peter Betschart and (sitting, L-R) Celeste Payne, Becky Moore and Sherri Winfree show all awards given to CDFA from the California Public Sector Chief Information Officer Academy. (Bottom) PSP team members (L-R) Geetika Joshi, Ben Reische, Briana Russell, Angela Terrazas and Peiman Aminabadi hold the award for implementation of CDFA’s Produce Safety Program (PSP) Portal, which they initiated and helped developed.

Are You Prepared for the Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements?

Posted in Education, Implementation, RegulationTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
CDFA Produce Safety Program Logos above Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Rule Resources text in front of a produce field irrigated with overhead sprinklers

The compliance date for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) has begun for Large Farms[1] starting on April 7, 2025. Compliance dates for Small Farms[2] and Very Small Farms[3] will follow in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

Pre-Harvest Agricultural Final Rule Compliance Dates

  • Large Farms: April 7, 2025
  • Small Farms: April 6, 2026
  • Very Small Farms: April 5, 2027

Resources including educational materials, Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Trainings, On-Farm Readiness Reviews and the California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) Technical Assistance Program are available to assist you with preparing for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements.

Educational Resource Materials

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings

The current PSA Grower Training Course curriculum includes the new pre-harvest agricultural water rule requirements.

The CDFA Produce Safety Program (PSP) offers PSA Grower Training courses at no cost for all California residents. If you have not yet completed a PSA Grower Training course or would like to receive a refresher, please visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/producesafety/growertraining/ for course dates.

PSA is also hosting update webinars at no cost for past course participants to understand the new pre-harvest agricultural water requirements. A certificate of completion will be emailed to webinar participants who attend one full session (only one session needs to be attended). Registration is required and participants must join the webinar within 15 minutes of the start time to receive a certificate. Participants can download handouts (English) | (Spanish) to take notes. If you have any questions on these webinars, please contact the PSA team at psatrainers@cornell.edu.

Upcoming live webinars in English:

Upcoming live webinars in Spanish:

Pre-recorded PSA webinars:

On-Farm Readiness Reviews

Produce growers and handlers that have not yet undergone their initial PSR inspections are encouraged to request an On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) to aid in their preparation process.

An OFRR is a free, voluntary, customized assessment conducted before an initial regulatory inspection that includes a farm walk-around and one-on-one conversations with CDFA PSP staff to discuss how the PSR applies to your operation in a confidential, educational format.

OFRRs can be requested by emailing producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov. Additional information on OFRRs can be found on our OFRR Blog Post.

CDFA Technical Assistance Program

Produce growers and handlers can receive one-on-one technical assistance at no cost by requesting to be connected to the CDFA Technical Assistance Program (TAP). CDFA TAP is a service that offers educational resources and food safety support for produce operators in California.

CDFA TAP participants will be connected to a Technical Assistance Provider from the University of California Cooperative Extension team who can provide customized support on pre-harvest agricultural water rule compliance and inspection preparation.

Request CDFA TAP support by emailing producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov and learn more at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/technicalassistance/.

What is Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water?

Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water refers to water used during growing activities where water is intended to, or is likely to, contact covered produce or food contact surfaces.

Examples of growing activities can include irrigation, crop sprays, fertigation, cooling, frost protection, dust abatement and any other uses where water directly contacts produce or food contact surfaces.

Covered produce means produce that is subject to the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule including the harvestable or harvested part of the crop. 

Background on the Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Final Rule

On May 6, 2024, FDA published a final rule on pre-harvest agricultural water revising certain requirements in Subpart E of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) for covered produce (other than sprouts) for enhanced produce safety. The new rule moves from an emphasis on testing pre-harvest water to performing an agricultural water assessment. It does not change existing agricultural water requirements for sprouts or harvest and post-harvest water uses. The final rule went into effect on July 5, 2024.

[1] Under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, farms sizes are classified by the average annual gross produce sales adjusted for inflation over a 3-year period. Click here to learn more about the FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut Offs. “Large” farms have average annual produce sales above $500,000 adjusted for inflation.

[2] “Small” farms have average annual produce sales above $250,000 and up to $500,000 adjusted for inflation.

[3] “Very Small” farms have average annual produce sales above $25,000 and up to $250,000 adjusted for inflation.

CDFA Produce Safety Program Hosts Quarterly Virtual PSP Portal Training Workshops through Fall 2025

Posted in Announcements, EducationTagged , , , , , , , , ,
Save the date for virtual CDFA PSP Portal Workshops banner with image of computer

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) will host a series of quarterly PSP Portal Virtual Training Workshops through Fall 2025. 

The virtual workshops will include a presentation that provides an overview of the CDFA Produce Safety Program and PSP Portal. The first hour will offer live training tutorials on how to navigate the PSP Portal with the remaining time reserved for a Q&A session and one-on-one technical support.

In Fall 2024, CDFA PSP hosted a series of PSP Portal Training Workshops in person across California and virtually. An additional virtual webinar was hosted on January 28, 2025 and the workshop series will continue to be offered to California produce growers and handlers for the remainder of 2025. 

If interested in attending an upcoming virtual workshop, please register using the links below for your preferred date of choice.

Virtual Workshop | via Zoom

May 1, 2025 | 9am – 11am | Click here to register

July 29, 2025 | 9am – 11am | Click here to register

October 28, 2025 | 9am – 11am | Click here to register

What is the PSP Portal? The PSP Portal is a cloud-based farm data repository platform that allows California produce farmers and growers to view their own farm information and have on-demand access to their digital produce safety inspection reports related to their own farms. In addition, the PSP Portal provides resources to support on-farm compliance with the requirements of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and provide a convenient way for California growers to connect with PSP staff. The new technology allows the Produce Safety Program to focus inspection efforts based on food safety risk factors to help ensure a safe and quality food supply for all consumers of California fresh produce in the state, nationally and beyond.

CDFA Produce Safety Program Offers Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training Courses at No Cost for California Produce Growers and Handlers

Posted in Announcements, EducationTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) is offering Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training Courses at no cost to California produce growers and handlers starting February 2025.

Courses will be offered in a web-based, remote format via Zoom with live instructors to provide convenient accessibility for individuals located across California.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule sets minimum food safety standards for the production of fresh fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts. The PSA Grower Training Course provides participants with information on the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements and Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to assist with the implementation of on-farm produce safety practices.

Each registered course participant will receive a PSA Grower Training Manual and informational handouts to support compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Upon successful completion of the course, participants are eligible to receive a Certificate of Course Completion from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO).

Completion of the PSA Grower Training Course fulfills the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement 21 CFR 112.22(c) that states “at least one supervisor or responsible party from your farm must have successfully completed food safety training equivalent to that received under a standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.”

To learn more and register for an upcoming course, please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/producesafety/growertraining/

CDFA Produce Safety Program Releases New PSP Portal Training Resources

Posted in AnnouncementsTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) announces the release of several new PSP Portal training resources including training videos, a written user guide, and an informational flyer. These resources are available on the PSP Portal Information Website. The training videos and written user guide provide step-by-step instructions on how to navigate the PSP Portal and complete key functions including creating new user accounts, verifying farm account information, and accessing CDFA inspection-related documents.

New Training Resources

PSP Portal Training Videos

PSP Portal Written User Guide

PSP Portal Flyer

What is the PSP Portal? The PSP Portal is a cloud-based farm data repository platform that allows California produce farmers and growers to view their own farm information and have on-demand access to their digital produce safety inspection reports related to their own farms. In addition, the PSP Portal provides resources to support on-farm compliance with the requirements of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and provide a convenient way for California growers to connect with PSP staff. The new technology also allows the Produce Safety Program to focus inspection efforts based on food safety risk factors to help ensure a safe and quality food supply for all consumers of California fresh produce in the state, nationally and beyond.