Food Protection Trends - November/December 2020 - 447

TABLE 5. Participant plans for training growers (n = 819a)

Do you intend to become a Lead Trainer?
Do you plan to teach the course solo, build a team, or both to
deliver the curriculum to growers?

Yes, % (N)
66% (492)

No, % (N)
34% (258)

Teach solo, % (N) Teach as a team, % (N)
3% (25)
60% (456)

Not sure, % (N)
N/A
Both, % (N)
37% (274)

Yes, % (N)
82% (595)

No, % (N)
.3% (2)

Not sure, % (N)
18% (129)

Do you plan to offer the training in one day, or spread it out over
multiple days?

One day, % (N)
30% (229)

Multiple days, % (N)
21% (158)

Not sure, % (N)
50% (379)

If you plan to host a multi-day training, do you plan to include a
Farm Food Safety Plan writing component or other additional
information?c

Yes, % (N)
42% (246)

No, % (N)
3% (17)

Not sure, % (N)
55% (317)

If training as a team, do you feel that you will be able to find
qualified people to join your team?b

Every participant did not respond to every question.
25 participants responded that they would be teaching solo, but also responded to this question. Those responses are not included
in this analysis.
c
158 participants responded that they would be teaching the training one day, but also responded to this question. Those responses
are not included in this analysis.
a

b

Lead Trainers and to teach the course with a team (Table
5). Participants with a doctoral degree were most likely to
report that they intended to become PSA Lead Trainers,
and those with only a high school education were least
likely to report that they intended to become PSA Lead
Trainers (χ2 (7, N = 723) = 28.207, P < 0.001). Consultants
were most likely to report that they intended to become
PSA Lead Trainers, and government employees and farm
owners or operators were most likely to report that they did
not intend to become PSA Lead Trainers (χ2 (5, N = 725)
= 53.481, P < 0.001). Participants 41 to 55 years of age (χ2
(4, N = 717) = 16.056, P < 0.003) and those with at least 6
years of produce safety training experience (χ2 (5, N = 703)
= 5 1.796, P < 0.001) were most likely to report intending
to become PSA Lead Trainers.
In the years since the launch of the PSA Train-the-Trainer
program, many more courses have been held nationally and
internationally. From 14 September 2016 to 27 June 2019,
1,912 individuals attended domestic Train-the-Trainer
Courses, and 236 (12%) have become PSA Lead Trainers.
In 2017, the training curriculum was translated into Spanish
and began to be used with international and domestic
Spanish-speaking audiences. As of 27 June 2019, 760
individuals from outside the United States had attended a
PSA Train-the-Trainer Course, and 107 (14%) had become

PSA Lead Trainers. Of those that intended to teach the
course with a team, most indicated that they would be able
to find qualified people to join the training team (Table
4). Many participants were unsure whether they would be
teaching the PSA Grower Training Course over multiple
days and whether they would include food safety plan
writing as part of the training.
Analysis of the evaluation results from the first 8 months
after the rollout of the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course
indicates that the training was well received by course
participants. Course attendees felt that the balance between
GAPs and FSMA PSR content within the curriculum and
the amount of teaching notes was sufficient to helping
growers understand the foundational principles of
produce safety and how to use those principles to comply
with the PSR. The interdisciplinary nature of produce
safety requires that trainers have a broad background in
production agriculture, food safety, and adult education
to effectively provide education and outreach to fruit and
vegetable growers. Although many participants came to the
training with < 10 years of experience in produce safety, the
majority reported feeling prepared to teach PSA Grower
Training standardized curriculum modules after attending
the Train-the-Trainer Course. Engaging course attendees
in the curriculum content through active discussion and

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