Funded by the Pacific Food Safety Education & Training Collaborative — a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant through Oregon State University — the training is part of a broader initiative to strengthen food systems, improve resilience across Pacific Island communities, and improve familiarity of evolving federal standards.

As Guam’s agricultural sector continues to grow — with a rising number of small and beginning farmers — access to affordable, locally relevant training is essential, said Jian Yang, an extension specialist of food science at the University of Guam.

Attendees will have a unique opportunity to learn directly from food safety and food production experts from four Western region colleges of agriculture. Presentations will include: 

• Agricultural Water
  By Emilie Kirk
  Associate Extension Agent of Sustainable & Organic Agriculture
  University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  
  
• Processing Local Crops into Products
  By Jian Yang
  Extension Specialist of Food Science
  University of Guam
  
  
• Soil Amendments and Compost
  By Josh Silva
  Assistant Extension Agent of Tropical Soil Science & Food Safety
  University of Hawaii at Manoa
  
  
• Pesticides and Cleaning and Sanitizing Basics
  By Dave Stone
  Associate Dean of International Programs and Former Director of the Food Innovation Center
  Oregon State University
  
  
• Kitchen and Processing Food Safety
  By Josh Bevan
  Director of Food Technology Center
  University of Idaho
  
  
• Animal Intrusion & Sanitizer Demos
  
  

The training will also address requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) impacting producers, processors, and distributors. These updates are especially relevant as consumer demand grows for fresh, ready-to-eat, and specialty food products.

Registration is free of charge and available at https://url.uog.edu/food-safety. The event agenda can be viewed at https://url.uog.edu/tu5q6z.