About the Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse is a curated and crowd-sourced collection of Produce Safety Rule (PSR) and Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule (PCHFR) resources related to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). These resources, e.g. published rules, national curricula, fact sheets, webinars, add-on and supplemental educational materials, videos, coverage assessment tools, podcasts, posters, and calculators have been developed and continue to be developed by many different partners in research, education, outreach, and regulatory roles. Given this breadth of work, it can be challenging to learn about all the resources that exist and then to know what partner website to visit to find that material. This Clearinghouse is intended to collect and curate these materials on one single site. Using the search function, users can find specific material and then follow links directly to the source of that information on the author or host organization's site. The goal of the Clearinghouse is to connect food safety people, projects, and publications across the nation through a verified process so that regulators, educators, technical service providers, growers and processors can feel confident knowing that the information they find within the Clearinghouse is a trusted source of food safety related information. This is done by allowing only those with approved accounts to submit resources to the Clearinghouse.
A Peer Review process is available for those seeking an additional review of their content prior to posting on the Clearinghouse. This process is led by the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety and more information on the complete process can be found here or on the Peer Review Process for Add-on Content tab at the top of this page.
Searching
Anyone can search and view the resources linked to the Clearinghouse by using one or all of the search tools on the main page (e.g. filter by type, topic, state, and/or search using keywords). When submitting a food safety resource, the contributor will select the appropriate type, topic, state specificity (if any), and provide a detailed description of the material they are posting. The text in the description fields are used during keywords searches. Depending on the search criteria you provide, the search tool will list all the related resources in the Clearinghouse. Once you choose to view a specific resource by clicking on the main header you will find a description and direct links to the host website where the resource is housed. Resources can also be uploaded to the Clearinghouse directly for those contributors who may not have a website.
Submitting Resources
In order to link your food safety related materials and make them searchable within the Clearinghouse, you must create an account by completing the user account form and demonstrating your Preventive Controls for Human Food, Produce Safety Rule, and/or general food safety qualifications. Once requested and before being given the permissions to submit to the clearinghouse, your account will be reviewed and approved. This process is in place to ensure that the resources linked are from a qualified source of food safety related information. Once approved, you can then log in and submit your resources. You will select the appropriate type and topic, note any state specificity, and provide a detailed description of your resource. The keyword search function searches within the title, summary and full description that you provide. Therefore, it is important to use language that includes keywords that users are likely to use when searching for your resource. After the description of the material is complete, please provide a specific link or links to the place on your website or to the posted resource outlined in your submission in order to provide a direct path for the user to the selected resource.
Feedback and Questions
If you do not see a type or topic that accurately reflects your resource, please email necafs@uvm.edu. Questions about searching, creating an account, or submitting your resources? Email necafs@uvm.edu