FDA is expanding its outreach to small- and medium-size growers to address questions that have arisen since the proposed rule was issued in January 2013. According to Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, FDA expects and welcomes questions that arise during the rulemaking process. In a new interview, he emphasizes that FDA is committed to developing, with input, a final rule that prevents illnesses but that also is practical and adaptable to a wide diversity of growing conditions and practices.

Resources available on the newly updated FDA FSMA site are: [Read more…]

The comment period for both the Proposed Produce Rule and the Proposed Preventive Controls Rule ends on September 16th.  Both of these rules have the potential to impact many farms across NJ.  Your comments are important and can be made online for both the Produce Rule and the Preventive Controls Rule.  (Click on the highlighted rule name to access the comment page.)

Here are a few proposed regulations will be of interest to growers:
Proposed Produce Safety Rule
– How are annual farm sales calculated?
– How often will ag water need to be tested?
– What is the acceptable timing for animal based compost, and why is it not the same as the NOP standards? [Read more…]

Proposed Rule: Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Risk Based Preventive Controls for Human Food.

This is another proposed rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act which will affect some packinghouses, specifically operations that qualified for the FDA Food Facility Registration.  Farms are exempt from this rule IF they grow and harvest produce in one general location, do not pack product from other farms and do not cut into the consumable portion of the product.

[Read more…]

Records, Compliance and Enforcement Subparts O and P
Food Safety Modernization Act proposed rule

This FDA Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule Q & A conference call, coordinated by the Produce Safety Alliance, discussed recordkeeping, compliance, and enforcement within the impending Food Safety Modernization Act produce rule.

Questions asked during this conference call were:

1. Do lot numbers need to stay the same from supplier to supplier? Currently each supplier assigns its own lot number to a box, can this still occur?
Yes, changing the lot number is OK. Each supplier will need to keep records of what they received and the information that they assigned to each box. There needs to be a way to trace product back and forth one step. [Read more…]

Food Safety Modernization Act Question and Answer Session on Health, Hygiene and Training, subpart D.

This FDA Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule Q & A conference call, coordinated by the Produce Safety Alliance, discussed health, hygiene and training focus areas of the impending Food Safety Modernization Act produce rule.
Questions asked during this conference call were:

[Read more…]