The registration deadline is fast approaching for our December 5 and 6, 2024 Remote Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Safety Rule Training. This training fulfills the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration that at least one person from each farm that produces fresh fruits and vegetables needs to receive a standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA. This class runs from 9:00-1:00 EST and both days are required to receive the certificate. The deadline to register is Sunday, November 17, 2024, exceptions to this deadline cannot be made due to the nature of the remote program and the need for participants to have a copy of the Growers Training Manual prior to the training. Without the manual at the time of training participants will not receive a certificate. Manual will be mailed to all registered participants. For more information and to sign up for the class go to https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/trainings.
Financial Assistance for Food Safety Certification and Training
This is the chance for eligible fresh fruit and vegetable growers to recover some of their expenses for implementing food safety practices on their farms.
For 2024:
- Applications are due between July 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025
- Eligible expenses must be between June 26, 2024 and December 31, 2024
For 2025:
- Application is due between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026
- Eligible expenses must be between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025
Eligible specialty crop operations can apply for Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) by working directly with the Farm Service Agency offices at your local FSA office for details. Applications will be accepted via mail, fax, hand delivery, or electronic means.
How the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program Works
The FSCSC program provides financial assistance for specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in years 2024 and 2025. This program helps offset costs to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. FSCSC will cover a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing their certification, as well as a percentage of their related expenses.
Program Eligibility
Eligibility requirements for FSCSC applicants are outlined below. We recommend you review these requirements before initiating your FSCSC application.
To be eligible for FSCSC, an applicant must:
Have obtained or renewed:
- 2024 food safety certification issued between June 26, 2024, and December 31, 2024
- 2025 food safety certification issued during calendar year 2025.
- Be a specialty crop operation (growing fresh fruits and vegetables); and meet the definition of a small business or medium size business.
- A small (farm) business means an applicant that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of not more than $500,000.
- A medium (farm) business means an applicant that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of at least $500,001 but no more than $1,000,000.
| Category of Eligible Expenses | Payment Amount of Eligible Costs |
| Developing a Food Safety Plan for First Time Certification | · 75% (no maximum) |
| Maintaining or Updating a Food Safety Plan | · 75% up to $675 |
| Food Safety Certification | · 75% up to $2,000 |
| Certification Upload Fees | · 75% up to $375 |
| Microbiological Testing of Produce | · 75% up to 5 tests |
| Microbiological Testing of Soil Amendments | · 75% up to 5 tests |
| Microbiological Testing of Water | · 75% up to 5 tests |
| Training Expenses | · 100% up to $500 |
FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each category of eligible costs based on the percentages and maximum payment amounts. The FSCSC application and associated forms are available online at farmers.gov/food-safety.
You are encouraged to contact the Farm Service Agency office about FSCSC, program eligibility, or the application process. You may also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to provide one-on-one assistance.
For our current trainings please go to: Our Trainings – Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety
Produce Safety Classes this Fall
Hands-on Produce Safety Workshop: Wednesday, October 2nd from 10 am-2 pm EST. This hands-on produce safety class in Cream Ridge, NJ is for farm owners, farm employees, farm managers, and those thinking about starting a farm. The class is focused on the various actions that can be part of a strong produce safety plan whether you have one or are just getting started. These activities include building a DIY hand-washing station, assessing wildlife risks in the field and developing an action plan, interactive cleaning and sanitizing demonstrations, and more.
Online Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop: Wednesday, October 16 from 6-8pm EDT. Work through the components of a food safety plan with our help from your home office! By the end of this class you will have a draft plan and a more robust food safety program for your farm. This is an interactive class so please be prepared to have your cameras on and microphones for discussions.
Who is this program for?
- New and Beginning Growers
- Growers who want to improve produce safety practices on their farms
- Growers who want to work to develop a food safety culture on their farm
- Growers who want to develop more robust food safety practices and worker training programs
- Next-generation growers taking over a family farm
- Anyone thinking about starting a farm
- Anyone who may be getting an audit and does not have a food safety plan
For more details or to register for the classes go to https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/trainings/ or email Jenn Matthews at jmatthews@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Pre-Harvest Water Requirements Under the Produce Safety Rule
Note: The following is a brief description of the pre-harvest water requirements (Section 112.3-112.161) under the Food Safety Modernization Act/Produce Safety Rule (FSMA/PSR). The pre-harvest water requirements are complicated and this summary is intended to be a starting point while we wait for guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For those who have already taken the FSMA/PSR grower training we will host an update webinar in the fall. For those who have not taken the FSMA/PSR grower training our course will be updated this year to reflect the latest information.
The pre-harvest water (irrigation, spray water, frost protection, fertigation, dust abatement, etc.) requirements for the FSMA/PSR became effective on July 5, 2024, however this does not mean a grower needed to start complying on that date. Compliance dates are staggered over the next three years depending on the size of the operation. Farms having an inspection in 2024 should expect Subpart E to be discussed by inspectors to prepare them for compliance in 2025 and beyond.:
| Size of Operation | Compliance Dates |
| Operations over $500,000 | April 7, 2025 |
| Small operations (> $250,000-500,000) | April 6, 2026 |
| Very Small operations (> $25,000-250,000) | April 5, 2027 |
It is important to understand what is considered Agricultural Water. Water that is intended to or will likely touch produce is considered agricultural water. In the context of pre-harvest water that means any water you are using for irrigation, frost protection etc. that touches the crop. If you are using drip irrigation for staked tomatoes this is NOT agricultural water as the water is not touching the fruit. If you are using drip irrigation on carrots, this IS agricultural water, as the water is touching the crop. A grower needs to think about how each water source is used before they decide whether it is agricultural water or not. If you have specific questions with regards to whether or not your water is agricultural water, please reach out to us.
Water testing is not a requirement for pre-harvest water but can be part of the agricultural water assessment of the whole water system. This means an inspector will ask the grower to explain their system and how they minimize risks to the covered crops.
Requirements for Inspecting and Maintaining Agricultural Water Systems
As part of the rule, growers must inspect the whole water system (pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest) at the beginning of the season that is under the farms control. This includes:
- The water source (well and surface); the extent of the grower’s control and how each source is protected.
- Use of adjacent and nearby land (e.g., horse or cattle farm next door; runoff from roads)
- If surface water (e.g., stream, lake, or pond)- what is the chance a food safety hazard could enter the water before it got to your farm? (e.g., dairy farm upstream where cows get in the stream).
An inspection report must be written as to the findings of the inspection!
Requirements for Agricultural Water Assessment
The rule requires that a pre-harvest water assessment must be completed at the beginning of the season, the assessment is different than an inspection!
- The assessment only applies to the pre-harvest water.
- Must be a written assessment dated and signed at the beginning of the season, annually or anytime major changes are made to the system or water source. The inspection report can be incorporated into the assessment.
- Parts of the assessment
- Location and nature of water source (e.g., ground water/wells, surface water/pond, stream, etc.)
- How water is distributed (e.g., underground main, lay flat, canals, etc.)
- How system is protected from contamination (animals, manure applications, etc.)
- Agricultural water practices
- How water is applied and time between last irrigation and harvest
- Crop characteristics (e.g., waxy surface-cabbage, netted surface-muskmelons, etc.)
- Environmental conditions (Damage from frost, hail, blowing sand, etc.)
- Other factors
- Water testing, but the assessment can not be based just on water testing. It is only part of the assessment.
- If the operation meets any of the following, they can be exempt from performing a water assessment.
- No untreated surface water applied.
- Untreated groundwater is tested following the protocol for harvest and post-harvest water (four samples the first year for generic E. coli and one sample every year after if no generic E. coli is found).
- Public water system water use.
- Water is treated, monitored and to be of a safe and adequate sanitary quality.
Outcome from the assessment
- If the water source is not safe or is not of adequate sanitary quality, you must stop use immediately and take corrective measures before use.
- If the problem is related to biological soil amendments of animal or human origin on adjacent or nearby land, mitigation measures to stop and prevent the contamination must be implemented the same growing season (e.g., building a berm around the field to avoid runoff from a horse pasture).
- Any other conditions not related to animal activity impacting the quality of the water must be remediated as soon as practical and no later than the following year. The other option is to test the water source as part of the assessment and implement changes if needed.
Corrective measures are activities that must be done before using the water source. Such as re-inspecting the water system and making any changes or treating the water following FSMA/PSR standards.
Mitigation measures can take many forms including making a repair, increasing the time from the last irrigation to harvest, changing the water application method or source, etc.
Once we receive guidance from the FDA giving us greater details on how Subpart E impacts specific farm scenarios, we will share that information via the Plant and Pest Advisory.
Note Changes in Harmonized Audits for 2024
It has come to our attention that growers are using on old self audit checklist for their 2024 audit. According to USDA the old form was not acceptable after April 30, 2024! The USDA released the new Harmonized GAP Standard and Harmonized Plus+ Standard Audits in March to give growers the opportunity to update their plans. There are several changes related to section numbers and deleted numbers so if you have your audit plan setup by section number check to make sure they have not changed. Also, eight questions have been added. Following is a summary of those questions:
- G 2.4 – Approved service provider list required (the grower approves the list)
- G 7.2 – A designated recall team is required
- G 7.3 – Must perform a mock recall exercise annually
- G 11.5 – Must have labels and instructions for any water treatment chemical used
- G 11.8 – Compressed air or other gases contacting food or food contact surfaces must be maintained
- F 6.3 – Must have a procedure for storing and handling growing media (e.g., perlite, peat, rock wool, etc.)
- F 9.4 – Re-used water must be treated with a labeled product
- P 5.2 – A master cleaning schedule with standard operating procedures (SOP) must be established
There are two documents for each audit: Harmonized GAP Standard (v 3.0) or Harmonized GAP Plus+ standard (v 5.0). Each audit has a corresponding checklist “Harmonized GAP Combined Checklist (v6.1)” This is the checklist a grower should be using to their self-audit. Remember an older version will not be accepted which means the audit fails. Go to the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety website an look under the USDA Audits tab or go to Harmonized GAP | Agricultural Marketing Service (usda.gov) to download the correct versions.
Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crop (FSCSC) Cost Share Program
This is the chance for eligible fresh fruit and vegetable growers to recover some of their expenses for implementing food safety practices on the farm.
For 2024:
- Applications are due between July 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025
- Eligible expenses must be between June 26, 2024 and December 31, 2024
For 2025:
- Application is due between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026
- Eligible expenses must be between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025
Eligible specialty crop operations can apply for FSCSC by working directly with the Farm Service Agency offices at your local FSA office for details. Applications will be accepted via mail, fax, hand delivery, or electronic means.
How the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program Works
The FSCSC program provides financial assistance for specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in years 2024 and 2025. This program helps offset costs to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. FSCSC will cover a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing their certification, as well as a percentage of their related expenses.
Program Eligibility
Eligibility requirements for FSCSC applicants are outlined below. We recommend you review these requirements before initiating your FSCSC application.
To be eligible for FSCSC, an applicant must:
- Have obtained or renewed:
- 2024 food safety certification issued between June 26, 2024, and December 31, 2024
- 2025 food safety certification issued during calendar year 2025.
- Be a specialty crop operation (growing fresh fruits and vegetables); and meet the definition of a small business or very small business.
- A small (farm) business means an applicant that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of more than $250,000 but not more than $500,000.
- A very small (farm) business means an applicant that had an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the 3-year period preceding the program year of no more than $250,000.
| Category of Eligible Expenses | Payment Amount of Eligible Costs |
| Developing a Food Safety Plan for First Time Certification | 75% (no maximum) |
| Maintaining or Updating a Food Safety Plan | 75% up to $675 |
| Food Safety Certification | 75% up to $2,000 |
| Certification Upload Fees | 75% up to $375 |
| Microbiological Testing of Produce | 75% up to 5 tests |
| Microbiological Testing of Soil Amendments | 75% up to 5 tests |
| Microbiological Testing of Water | 75% up to 5 tests |
| Training Expenses | 100% up to $500 |
FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each category of eligible costs based on the percentages and maximum payment amounts. The FSCSC application and associated forms are available online at farmers.gov/food-safety.
You are encouraged to contact the Farm Service Agency office about FSCSC, program eligibility, or the application process. You may also call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to provide one-on-one assistance.
