As a part of FSMA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule on food traceability designed to facilitate faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths. Read the final rule and see the Food Traceability List.
FDA released a paper version of its Agricultural Water Assessment Builder, to complement the online version, which was developed to help farms understand the proposed requirements in the Agricultural Water Proposed Rule.
FDA issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined in the recent 2021 agricultural water proposed rule, proposing to continue enforcement discretion for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements of the Produce Safety regulation until the following dates:
FDA released its Agricultural Water Assessment Builder to help farms understand the proposed Agricultural Water Rule. Access the tool here.
FDA proposed amending the agricultural water provisions of the Produce Safety Rule. Comments period closes on April 5, 2022. View all comments here.
Comment period closes for FDA’s proposed rule on traceability. View all submitted comments here.
Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) opened registration for Colorado produce farms covered by the Produce Safety Rule and inspected by CDA
FDA opens for comment its proposed rule on traceability. The food traceability list identifies the foods for which the additional traceability records described in the proposed rule would be required.
FDA opens for comment its Rarely Consumed Raw produce list. Data, information, and comments may be submitted until Nov 9
FDA announces new protocol for developing and registering preharvest ag water treatments
FDA provides flexibility to farms regarding eligibility for the qualified exemption under the Produce Safety Rule
FDA released its report “Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Romaine Lettuce Implicated in the Three Outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 during the Fall of 2019”
FDA released the Spanish language version of the Produce Safety Rule
FDA announced routine inspections of small farms may begin as early as January 2020
United Fresh released guidelines on recommended food safety practices intended to minimize the microbiological hazards associated with fresh and fresh-cut tomato products
FDA released a proposal on food safety guidelines for sprout seeds and will be taking public comments until late August
FDA released updated Frequently Asked Questions on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to include additional questions and answers related to the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (Produce Safety Rule)
FDA published Spanish translations of the Produce Safety Rule draft guidance “At-A-Glance” overviews
See United Fresh’s Romaine Resources and a Q&A on voluntary origin/harvest date labeling for romaine products
FDA has released final guidance regarding the agency’s mandatory recall authority under FSMA
FDA published its environmental assessment for the multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, AZ, in a statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb
FDA released: 1) draft guidance on Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption; and 2) draft guidance entitled “Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Produce”
FDA released guidance to help growers determine if a facility falls under the definition of a Qualified Facility for human food or for animal food
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition released an updated FSMA Flowchart and a new FSMA Diagrama de flujo Español
FDA updated resources for suppliers and facilities with its Data Dashboard, making available enforcement, compliance and recall information
FDA released inflation-adjusted values for the most recent 3 years to support calculations for Produce Safety and other rules under FSMA
The Produce Safety Alliance held a Water Summit on Feb 26-28, watch the Summit via recorded videos
New Produce Safety Rule landing page at FDA
FDA will not enforce certain provisions in four FSMA regulations –see fact sheet
FDA releases new FSMA-related surveillance sampling for fresh produce
FDA releases Guidance for Industry on Current Good Manufacturing Practice Requirements for Food for Animals
New article on mapping multi-state foodborne disease outbreaks