On-Farm Food Safety Section

Keep up with the latest news on this dynamic topic that impacts growers on multiple levels. Developing a farm food safety plan is a good idea for all growers, and may be required as part of food safety audits if you sell to certain buyers.

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March 11, 2024

Endangered Species Act: What will soon change for pesticide labelling and uses?

Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: How will pesticide labels change to protect endangered species?

Wednesday, March 20 at 11 a.m – Webinar

Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires all federal agencies to consider the impact to threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat when making decisions. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has faced numerous lawsuits for its failure to consider the Act when issuing pesticide registrations—resulting in a 2023 commitment from the Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs that puts the ESA at the forefront of all future registrations and some registration renewals.

The NYS IPM program at Cornell will be hosting Dr. Bill Chism, Chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee for the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), to give a webinar on March 20th (at 11 a.m.) with the following objectives:

  • • Inform us about the history of Endangered Species Act (ESA),
  • Discuss the requirements of all Federal agencies to comply with the ESA,
  • Describe the EPA’s current workplan (including the proposed Herbicide Strategy) to meet their statutory obligations,
  • Explains what this might mean for future pesticide labeling efforts.

Registration: Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: An Example | CALS (cornell.edu)

About the Speaker


Bill Chism is the chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). He retired after more than two decades with the EPA, where he conducted assessments on the benefits of pesticides to farmers as part of the registration review process. Bill grew up working on a vegetable farm in the Salinas Valley of California. He worked in extension researching weed control research on vegetable crops before earning his PhD in Weed Science from Virginia Tech and spent 10 years working for a pesticide registrant.

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , ,
March 11, 2024

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.”

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops
March 7, 2024 and

USDA just released the new Harmonized GAP Standard and Harmonized Plus+ Standard Audits.

The standards go into effect May 1, 2024.

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 also have a summary of changes document will be help finding the changes.

Go to:  Harmonized GAP | Agricultural Marketing Service (usda.gov) to download a copy of each standard.

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
March 1, 2024

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:

  1. How to Verify that Your Cleaning and Sanitizing Programs are Effective
  2. What are Hazards and What are Risks
  3. What the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is Seeing on Audits and How You Can Prepare
  4. 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

Register Here

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
February 29, 2024 and

Water Testing Requirements Under the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule for 2024

Does your farm fall under the FSMA: PSR? Find out at this link:   https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4IagP1mbPyrp42N.

The requirements for water management only apply to operations that are not exempt or qualified exempt. Check out the link above to determine whether you fall under an exemption category.

Note:  If you are third party audited (GA/GHP, Harmonized, Global GA, Primus, etc.) continue to follow the water testing requirements for your audit!

Harvest and Post-Harvest Water (including water used to wash hands, washing produce, ice making, hydrocooling, chemical application and for cleaning and sanitizing)

Water Test Requirements:

  • For Public Water: No test required, you need to have a copy of the report from the municipality.
  • For well water: You must test just wells used for harvest and post-harvest four times in the first year and then if there is no detectable generic E. coli on any tests you may test each well once per year after that initial year.
  • For surface water: Untreated surface water is not allowed to be used for harvest and post-harvest purposes.

Compliance Dates:

  • Large Growers (over $500,000): Currently in effect
  • Small Growers ($250,000-$500,000): Currently in effect
  • Very Small Growers ($25,000- $250,000): January 26, 2025

When complying a grower must inspect the agricultural water system that is under their control to determine any hazards. The water source test results must ensure that there is no detectable generic E. coli per 100 ml of water and untreated surface water cannot be used.

If a water test does not meet the criteria for non-detectable generic E. coli the farm must immediately stop using the water. The grower must take several steps before using the water including reinspecting the entire affected agricultural water system, under their control and make corrections or treat the water.

There are other required measures including having a water change schedule; visually monitoring the quality of water (for buildup of organic material) and monitoring the temperature of certain commodities.

The records required include the agricultural water system inspection; water test results; any water treatment; and corrective actions. Review Subpart E sections 112.41-112.48, 112.50, 112.151 and 112.161.

Pre-Harvest (Irrigation, Frost Protection, Sprays) Water

There is some confusion as to whether growers need to test their water for pre-harvest uses in 2024. The pre-harvest irrigation water requirement is still under review by the Food and Drug Administration, so testing is not required in 2024.

What we suggest you do now:

  • For well water: Test once a year
  • For surface water: Test three times a year. (when the pump is started, mid-season and close to harvest.)

This will give the grower a baseline as to the quality of water being used. When the final rule goes into effect the largest growers (over $500,000) will have nine months; small growers ($250,000-500,000) will have 1 year, and nine months and the very small growers ($25,000-250,000) will have two years and nine months to start complying.

Source:  The On-Farm Food Safety Team (Meredith Melendez, Jennifer Matthews and Wesley Kline)

 

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
February 16, 2024

Deadline February 29, 2024 NJDA is offering USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grants

The NJDA is offering USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grants. The deadline for grant submissions is February 29th. For more information visit the NJDA grant site: Department of Agriculture | Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Grants. 

Types of projects that could be funded include:
• Expanding processing capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new wholesale/retail, product lines;
• Modernizing equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs, or retooling; (e.g., adapting product lines for institutional procurement or adding parallel processing capacity);
• Purchase and installation of specialized equipment, such as processing components, sorting equipment, packing and labeling equipment, or delivery vehicles;
• Modernizing manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems;
• Enhancing worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements; Construction of a new facility;
• Increasing packaging and labeling capacities that meet compliance requirements under applicable laws (e.g. sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment);
• Increasing storage space, including cold storage;
• Develop, customize, or install climate-smart equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s climate action goals;
• Modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, including associated Hazard, Analysis, and Critical Control Points (HACCP) consultation, plan development and employee training;
• Training on the use of all equipment purchased under the grant and associated new processes.

Contact at NJDA:

Deelip Mhaske
Grants Administrator
Division of Marketing & Development New
Jersey Department of Agriculture
PO Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625-0330

Phone: 609-913-6628 Fax: 609-984-2508
E-mail: deelip.mhaske@ag.nj.gov

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,