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.
Webinar on the FSMA Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water – MAY 20, 2024 – Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) invites the public to registerExternal Link Disclaimer for a webinar on the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water (Agricultural Water Final Rule). The purpose of this webinar is to provide an overview of the final rule and answer pre-submitted and live questions.
Background
The final rule replaces certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) in the 2015 Produce Safety Rule with requirements for systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. Specifically, this rule:
- Establishes requirements for agricultural water assessments that evaluate a variety of factors that are key determinants of contamination risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water; this includes an evaluation of the water system, water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, potential impacts on water from adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors;
- Includes testing pre-harvest agricultural water as part of an assessment in certain circumstances;
- Requires farms to implement effective mitigation measures within specific timeframes based on findings from their assessments. Hazards related to certain activities associated with adjacent and nearby land uses are subject to expedited mitigation; and
- Adds new options for mitigation measures, providing farms with additional flexibility in responding to findings from their pre-harvest agricultural water assessments.
The rule also finalizes the dates for compliance with the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for non-sprout covered produce as follows:
- For very small farms: 2 years, 9 months (April 5, 2007)
- For small farms: 1 year, 9 months (April 6, 2026)
- For all other farms: 9 months (April 7, 2025)
Registration
The May 20 webinar is a virtual event. Registration is free and will be open through the day of the webinar. Persons interested in attending the public meeting must register at: FSMA Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Webinar
If you have questions about the final rule that you wish to submit for possible discussion during the webinar, please note them during registration. All questions must be received by May 15, 2024, to be considered for discussion.
On-Farm Readiness Reviews Available
Have you gone through the Produce Safety Alliance training for the Produce Safety Rule? If so, now is your chance to find out if your farm is ready for an inspection. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) and the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team are collaborating to perform assessments on any farm who has gone through the PSR training. This is free and confidential for your operation. One member from each team will walk around the farm with you and help you decide whether any changes may be required to pass an inspection. The team will leave with you a list of the top three or four items considered most important. All notes taken during the visit will be left with you and nothing will be photographed. This is your opportunity to get a firsthand assessment about what you need to do before inspectors show up.
The best time for the team to visit is when the farm is getting close to harvest, so they can assess practices from field production through packing. The assessment will take approximately two hours depending on the size of operation.
To schedule a review contact NJDA at 856-839-3388 or email: fvinspection@ag.nj.gov
USDA Webinar on Updates to the USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices and GAP Plus+ Audit Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will hold a webinar on the updates to the USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and GAP Plus+ audit standards.
April 5, at 1 p.m. ET
These updates become effective May 1, 2024, and will allow AMS’ GAP audit services to remain applicable and relevant for its specialty crops industry customers.
The USDA Harmonized GAP and GAP Plus+ audit standards will be updated to align with the Produce GAPs Harmonized Combined Standard. Updates will include:
- Adding more consistent language and reducing redundancy.
- New requirements relating to water treatment, recall program, soil amendments, and maintenance.
For more information on the updates to the standards or the webinar, contact Jill Dunlop, AMS Audit Services Branch, at Jill.Dunlop@usda.gov.
Four Water Samples Required for Harvest and Post-Harvest Water Under Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule
Growers that have been testing their wells for years have been asking us if that historical data would meet the four-sample requirement for FSMA for the first year and the answer we got from the FDA is NO.
What that means for you:
For harvest and post-harvest water, you are required to test each well for non-detectable generic E. coli four times in the first year. If all initial results meet the numerical requirements of 112.44(a) (no detectable generic E. coli per 100 ml) then you are only required to test those harvest and post-harvest water wells once a year moving forward.
The four-sampling requirement is now in effect for operations over $250,000 and smaller operations ($25,000-250,000) will be required starting in January 2025. Remember not all wells need to be tested four times. It is only water from wells used in harvesting or in the packing area which come in direct contact with the produce or the harvesting and packing equipment during cleaning and sanitizing.
Here is the answer we got from the FDA:
“As farms come into compliance with harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements, those growers who are using untreated ground water for the purposes of 112.44(a) must test the water 4x per year initially. If all initial results meet the numerical requirements of 112.44(a) (no detectable generic E. coli per 100 ml), then the grower may reduce the testing frequency to one sample year, as long as the agricultural water continues to be reflective of use. FDA may consider guidance on what growers might be able to do with historical data as compliance and implementation guidance is developed.”
Advanced Audit Training – March 5th 9am-12 pm EST
This certificate online class is our last food safety program of the season, so if your auditors or buyers are requiring you to take food safety training and you have not done so for the 2024 season this is the class for you.
What you will learn:
- How to Verify that Your Cleaning and Sanitizing Programs are Effective
- What are Hazards and What are Risks
- What the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is Seeing on Audits and How You Can Prepare
- Growers Experience with Audits, a round table discussion
If you have any questions, contact Jenn Matthews at (609) 675-4221
Deadline to Register is March 4, 2024
