Food Safety Trainings
Food Safety Ambassador Program
La Semilla Food Center is a community-based organization and food hub that serves the needs of non-traditional, niche, and hard-to-reach grower audiences in the Paso del Norte region. Through this ambassador program, our Farm Fresh Program is reframing food safety as a practice that is rooted in community care and worker well-being and safety, rather than centering regulatory aspects or technical skills.
We partner with active farmers in our region who are not generally covered by the Produce Rule and not typically represented in food safety specialist spaces. This is why we have established an ambassador program that meets the needs of our local partner farmers in delegating food safety processes that are culturally relevant and impactful to the growers within La Semilla’s growing agroecology network. For two years, we have extended our Food Safety Ambassadorship scope where farmers in our region share their lived experiences to realize a shared vision of food safety justice.
We intentionally worked with farmers who represent a wide range of agricultural backgrounds, including indoor farming, mushroom farming, farming alongside animals, year-round farming, and landless farming. This diversity ensured that our curriculum included the rich and relevant experiences of many of the farmers we serve. Our curriculum, which is rooted in decolonizing and indigenizing food safety concepts, will have multi-county and state-wide impact.
Join us as we continue to be stewards to the land and learn together in creating a food safety curriculum rooted in the lives of a growing network of farmers. To learn more about the Food Safety Ambassador Program, contact us at foodsafety@
Seeds of Safety (SOS) Trainings
We have launched a new food safety training program to bridge traditional and local farming practices with the food safety standards outlined by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This groundbreaking program celebrates the rich cultural heritage of our farming communities while ensuring the continued safety and sustainability of our local food systems. In collaboration with local farmers, community leaders, and food safety experts, the Seeds of Safety training equips farmers with the tools they need while honoring the agricultural traditions that have sustained our communities for centuries. With a focus on practical skills and land relevance, the program emphasizes hands-on learning, peer support, and the sharing of lived experiences that aligns seamlessly with modern food safety practices.
La Semilla’s SOS training will resume in the fall and winter of 2025, building on its impactful debut as a new Approved Supplier Program training curriculum. In its first season, the program successfully trained over 22 local farmers, demonstrating the deep need for accessible food safety education rooted in community values.
This two-day training has emerged as a transformative resource—designed to support farmers in meeting New Mexico Grown food safety standards while centering culturally meaningful practices, ancestral wisdom, and sustainable approaches. Participants leave equipped not just with compliance tools, but with the confidence to uphold food safety on behalf of their land, staff, and products.
Guided by the principles of farmer empowerment, justice in the food system, and environmental stewardship, SOS training helps foster long-term conversations around healthy, resilient farming.
For information about upcoming sessions or how to register, please reach out to us at foodsafety@
