The revised produce rule is now available online and the FDA is accepting comments on the revisions.
To access the rule and comment visit the FDA FSMA Produce Rule webpage. The comment period will remain open until December 15, 2014.
Comment Period Open for Revised Produce Rule
Summary of Key Revisions: Four FSMA Rules
Today the FDA released key revisions for:
- Produce Safety Rule
- Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule
- Preventive Controls for Animal Food Rule
- Food Supply Verifications Programs for Importers of Food Rule
The comment period on the revised provisions will open on September 29th.
Audit Ready: I Recieved Corrective Actions, Now What?!
Corrective actions are a normal part of the third party audit process, and it can be expected that most growers will have at least one corrective action assigned to them. The question we have been hearing from growers repeatedly this season is, “Do I have to do anything about corrective actions if I pass the audit?” The answer is YES!
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Audit Ready: Worker Break Areas
The USDA GAPs and USDA Harmonized Third Party audits require that worker break areas be separate from where saleable product is handled.
The GAPs audit states “smoking and eating are confined to designated areas separate from where product is handled.” An auditor completing a GAPs audit will look to see that the break area is indeed separate from production areas and that workers are using the area as they should be. If personal items, such as lunch boxes, food items etc., are found in the production area the auditor will deduct points from the total GAPs audit score. In some cases the auditor may deem the risk of contamination too great and may stop the audit.
[Read more…]
Farm Food Safety: Hand Washing Stations
Hand washing stations are an important part of your farm food safety goals.
Stations must be located at all bathroom facilities, ideally outside of the bathroom and in public view. Research has shown that people are much more likely to wash their hands if someone is watching them. [Read more…]
Farm Food Safety: An Emergency Plan for your Portable Toilet
What would you do if your portable toilet had a spill? Operations that utilize portable toilets should have an emergency containment plan in place and all workers should be familiar with this plan.
The goal of this plan is to contain the spill to the immediate area around the portable toilet and to prevent contamination of production areas. In the case of a portable toilet spill, one acceptable plan would be to immediately call the portable toilet service company and to build an earthen dam around the spill area to prevent further movement of the spilled contents. Think about your portable toilet locations, how you would handle a spill situation and make sure that your workers are aware of the plan.