Cooperative Extension Service to offer three produce washing workshops in May

LITTLE ROCK — For small-scale farmers and backyard gardeners interested in improving their fruit and vegetable washing and handling practices, the Cooperative Extension Service will offer three no-cost produce washing workshops in May. These workshops for beginners will cover best practices, types of wash systems and more.
Each three-hour workshop will give participants a better understanding of why produce safety is important on smaller operations, what types of wash systems are appropriate for certain crops and how to choose the correct sanitizer and use it properly. The workshops will also feature a basic wash-and-pack system that participants can recreate in their own backyards.
“These workshops will help to demystify some of the questions new growers may have about produce safety,” said Sarah Bakker, extension program associate for Arkansas Local, Regional and Safe Foods for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “No one wants to make people sick from the produce they grow, and we want to help those smaller growers to create systems for washing and packing that are practical, efficient and safe.”
Bakker said farmers market vendors, homesteaders wanting to serve safe produce to their families, and gardeners who share their produce with friends and neighbors are ideal participants for these workshops.
“We will have a basic wash-and-pack system set up for participants to see how easy it is to create your own ‘pack shed,’ even when you don’t have space for it,” Bakker said. “We will also be doing hands-on activities to demonstrate how to easily incorporate sanitizer into your system.”
There is no cost to participants, but they must register for each workshop. Register for each workshop and learn more at bit.ly/ar-produce-washing.

Produce Washing Workshops schedule:
May 2: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Jefferson County Extension Office in Pine Bluff
May 11: 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Saline County Extension Office in Benton
May 21: 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Faulkner County Extension Office in Conway
The produce washing workshops serve a different purpose and audience than the Produce Safety Grower Trainings also offered by the Cooperative Extension Service. Those trainings are targeted to commercial growers and are a requirement through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, Produce Safety Rule.
“I have noticed increased interest in beginner vegetable gardening and small-scale farming to sell at local markets, especially since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “While our programs have mostly focused on educating commercial growers to date, I am looking forward to bringing information about produce safety to this new cohort of Arkansas growers.”