Food Safety Education - Microbiology

FSMA Produce Safety Rule Grower Tools

The Produce Safety Rule (PSR) requires growers to establish an initial Microbial Water Quality Profile (MWQP) for each untreated surface water or ground water source that uses a direct water application method on covered produce (other than sprouts). Growers must also conduct annual surveys for each water source in subsequent years to develop a rolling geomean and determine continued PSR compliance.

Several tools were developed to help growers easily determine the MWQP for each of their agricultural water sources and determine if each water source is PSR compliant. The tools also explain PSR requirements in detail, offer guidance on mitigation steps, and offer guidance on the application of die-off days to assist growers with making food safety management decisions if a water source does not meet PSR requirements. Each user-friendly resource is listed below.

Ag Water App and Related Resources:

  • Ag Water App (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension)
    Access online or download onto any Wi-Fi enabled mobile device (Android, Apple, cell-phone, tablet, laptop) by visiting the Google Play or Apple app store. Type “Ag Water” in the search box and click download. Open the app and create your account with a username and password. All information added to the app is saved in your encrypted personal account and can be accessed from any device that you login to. To access online, visit http://agwater.arizona.edu.
  • FSMA Produce Safety Rule Online Calculator (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension)
    An online webpage accessible from any device connected to the internet. Data entered cannot be saved using the Online Calculator. Data can be printed for record keeping.
  • Excel MWQP Calculator for Untreated Surface Water v.6.0 (Western Center for Food Safety)
  • Excel MWQP Calculator for Untreated Ground Water v.5.0 (Western Center for Food Safety)
    Each Excel link downloads to your computer as an Excel Spreadsheet. These documents can be saved to your device or a thumb drive.

More information on the Produce Safety Rule and agricultural water can be found by clicking on the following links:
FSMA PSR Factsheet (US FDA)
FSMA PSR Federal Register (US FDA)
FSMA PSR Regulatory Table (Produce Safety Alliance)

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Microbiology Food Safety Course

Welcome to the Microbiology Food Safety course brought to you by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. The Maricopa Agricultural Center and Yuma Agriculture Center have worked together to develop this curriculum to educate the food safety community on basic microbiology concepts, pathogenic contamination and current food safety research. Click on one of the links below and complete the lessons at your own pace. Thank you for participating!

Lesson 1 - Module 1 Introduction to Microbiology

  • Bacterial Classification
  • Factors Required for Growth
  • Bacterial Pathogens
  • Lesson 1 - Module 2 - Intermediate Microbiology

  • Human Pathogens
  • **En Español aquí!**

    If you run into any software problems while participating in our microbiology lessons, please send an email to: mac.waterquality@gmail.com.

    Also please note that some issues may arise due to slow internet speeds. Good luck!