A photo montage of a green field, a shady grove, and an orange branch

Technical Assistance Program

Food Safety Resource for Small and Very Small Produce Farms

About TAP

What is TAP?

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Technical Assistance Program (TAP) provides educational resources designed to ensure small-scale produce farms become compliant with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule for growing fruits, nuts and vegetables. TAP funding was made available by the Budget Act of 2019.

Who is TAP

TAP is a program managed by the CDFA Inspection and Compliance Branch. Through a CDFA grant, the program is partially staffed by University of California Cooperative Extension Specialists, Advisors and Community Educators who have expertise in on-farm food safety and production practices. TAP aims to promote the success of small-scale farmers across the state in following safe farming practices.

What does TAP do?

TAP team members are fluent in multiple languages (Spanish, Hmong, Mandarin and Portuguese) to serve the diversity of farmers across California. To support on-farm food safety, TAP offers a wide variety of services to farms needing assistance and resources about food safety practices used to grow produce.

What TAP offers

1. Basic Good Agricultural Practice Training

Informational fact sheets
Videos
In-person workshops
Online learning platform

2. How to Interpret and Implement FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule

Informational fact sheets
Videos
In-person workshops
Template signage
Templates for record keeping
Online learning platform

3. Low-Cost Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training

Tailored to the needs of small-scale growers
Including on-farm demonstrations
Online learning platform

4. On-Farm Technical Assistance

Guidance in building a food safety program for your farm
Assistance and preparation for FSMA Produce Safety Rule inspections

5. Advocacy for Small-Scale Growers

Grower discussion groups
Connections with state and national small farm advocacy groups
Engagement with policy makers on issues impacting small farmers

6. Continuing Education Events

TAP-sponsored water training courses
Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Soil Summit
PSA Water Summit
Access to On Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) training
Farm inspector training
Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety

Where you can find TAP

Members of the TAP team are located at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in Sacramento, University of California, Davis, campus and Cooperative Extension offices throughout the state. Produce safety resources for farmers are available in multiple languages.

California Department of Food and Agriculture Produce Safety Program

Find contact information for UCCE at:

Logos for UCCE, CDFA and Produce Safety Program