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.
September 29, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
Comment Period Open for Revised Produce Rule
September 23, 2014 Meredith Melendez
Retail Marketing Workshop
Annie’s Project New Jersey Presents:
Retail Marketing Conference for Farm Women
October 15, 2014 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Bridgeton
$75 includes materials, breakfast, lunch and bus tour to Rutgers Food Innovation Center
- Agritourism
- Social Media
- Marketing Strategies
- Value-Added Enterprises
- How to Set Financial Goals
- Writing Your Marketing Plan
- Networking
September 19, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
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.
September 12, 2014 Meredith Melendez
Farm Food Safety Webinar
Food Safety Regulations that
Produce Growers Need To Know AboutFriday, September 19th
12:00 noon to 1:00 pmJoin Annie’s Project NJ for a free one hour webinar focusing on:
- Food Safety Modernization Act Update
- NJ Department of Health regulations
- Results of on-going NJ farm food safety related sampling
- Evaluating food safety risks and developing standard operating procedures
Pre-registration is required online. All pre-registrants will automatically receive a link to the recording afterwards.
August 22, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
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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August 5, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
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.
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