Rutgers Cooperative Extension
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.
View NJAES On-Farm Food Safety Essentials
Monday, October 16 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm EST
Join NRCS Soil Conservationist Kimberly Dalton and Natural Resource Specialist James Strehse for a webinar explaining 2024 NRCS Funding Opportunities.
REGISTER HERE
Whether you’re small or large scale, conventional or organic, there are NRCS practices that can apply to your operation. The presentation will include program information and guidance on how to apply with your local USDA service center.
Registration is through the NOFA-NJ website.
If you use biological soil amendments (raw, composted, or processed) of animal origin on your fresh produce farm we would like to know more about it through this anonymous survey. Information provided will be used to inform extension educators and influence research and educational outreach nationally.
Proposed rules: PRN_2023-079_SADC_2_76-25
Original Notification of Public Hearing: Notice of public hearing SPS rule proposal
Important information:
DATE: September 27, 2023
TIME: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
LOCATION: TEAMS Virtual Meeting
To join the hearing via computer: Click here to join the meeting
To join the hearing via phone: Call (856)338-7074
Conference ID: 268 371 32#
Meeting Link and Call-In information is also available on the SADC website at https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/
NOTE: If you wish to provide oral testimony at the virtual public hearing, you must
register with the SADC no later than 5:00 p.m. Monday, September 25, 2023. Participants
may register by emailing Jessica.uttal@ag.nj.gov or calling her at (609) 913-6567.
From original notice:
STATE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Notice of Public Hearing on SADC Rule Proposal Establishing Soil Protection Standards
on Preserved Farmland
Proposal of new rules, N.J.A.C. 2:76-25, Soil Disturbance on Preserved Farmland; N.J.A.C.
2:76-25A, Supplemental Soil Disturbance Standards
PUBLIC NOTICE
Take notice that the New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) is holding
a virtual public hearing for the proposed new rules defining what activities on preserved
farmland constitute soil disturbance, establishing a soil disturbance limitation on preserved
farms, allowing for waivers of the soil disturbance limit under certain conditions, providing
preserved farm landowners written notice of and an opportunity to be heard on mapped soil
disturbances, and promulgating technical standards for certain agricultural practices for
compliance with the soil disturbance limitation.
The notice of proposal was published in the New Jersey Register on August 7, 2023, at 55
N.J.R. 8(1).
The SADC will be holding a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at
6:00 p.m. through the SADC’s video conferencing software (Microsoft TEAMS).
Registration: If you wish to provide oral testimony at the virtual public hearing, you must
register with the SADC no later than 5:00 p.m. Monday, September 25, 2023. Participants
may register by emailing Jessica.uttal@ag.nj.gov or calling her at (609) 913-6567. Please
provide your name, organization, telephone number, and email address. A verbal or written
confirmation will be provided of your interest to testify at the hearing.
Please note that the SADC will take oral testimony at the hearing by alphabetical order of the
testifying person’s last name, and that this hearing will be recorded.
DATE: September 27, 2023
TIME: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 pm
LOCATION: TEAMS Virtual Meeting
To join the hearing via computer: Click here to join the meeting
To join the hearing via phone: Call (856)338-7074
Conference ID: 268 371 32#
Meeting Link and Call-In information is also available on the SADC website at https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/
The SADC is also accepting written and/or electronic comments on the proposed rule
through October 6, 2023. Please submit electronic comments to SADC@ag.state.nj.us. In
the alternative, comments may be submitted on paper to:
Susan E. Payne, Executive Director
State Agriculture Development Committee
P.O. Box 330
Trenton, NJ 08625-0330
Please refer to the original notice of proposal for detailed information regarding the proposed
rules.
If your farm is considered qualified exempt from the FSMA Produce Safety Rule you have probably needed to provide paperwork to the NJDA at least once. Farms should be reviewing and updating their documentation that proves qualified exemption status annually and be prepared to show this again to the NJDA when required. Guidance and template forms are available online. Need a refresher on what a qualified exemption is? See below!
Under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, farms are eligible for a qualified exemption and associated modified requirements if they meet certain criteria:
The farm’s food sales averaged less than $610,182 (adjusted for inflation) per year during 2020-2022; and
The average value of the farm’s sales to qualified end-users exceeded the average value of the farm’s sales to all others during the previous three years. A qualified end-user is either (a) the consumer of the food or (b) a restaurant or retail food establishment that is located in the same state or the same Indian reservation as the farm or not more than 275 miles away.
Because of COVID-19, state and local governments across the United States had instituted public health orders that resulted in many restaurants and retail food establishments either closing or significantly limiting their operations, leaving many farmers without their usual buyers during the 2020-2022 period. The guidance intends to allow affected farmers to shift their sales away from qualified end-users while still being considered eligible for the qualified exemption. Specifically, under the temporary policy announced in the guidance, farms that are currently eligible for the qualified exemption and associated modified requirements will still be considered eligible, even if they shift sales away from qualified end-users, so long as they continue to meet the requirement that their average food sales during the previous three years total less than $610,182 (adjusted for inflation). This temporary policy is intended to remain in effect only for the duration of the public health emergency, after which the FDA intends to issue additional guidance.
Qualified exempt farms must comply with modified requirements under the Produce Safety Rule, which include establishing and keeping certain records and prominently displaying their name and business address on food packaging or at the point of sale. Farms are responsible for ensuring that the food they produce is not adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and they should use good agricultural practices to ensure the safety of their produce.
As reported in The Produce Reporter by Blue Book Services on August 1, 2023, the Canadian government has released new temporary licensing rules for importers of US romaine lettuce beginning September 28 and running through December 20, 2023.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CA FIA) summarized these new requirements in their statement outlining the rules:
“To decrease the risk associated with E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is implementing temporary Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) license conditions for the importation of romaine lettuce originating from the U.S. Between September 28 and December 20, 2023, importers of romaine lettuce and/or salad mixes containing romaine lettuce from the U.S. must:
Shippers sending romaine lettuce from other production regions to Canada during this time should expect to “provide a Proof of Origin indicating the state and county where the romaine lettuce was harvested”. Lack of proof of origin will require significant sampling and testing to assure lack of contamination before it will be allowed to be imported. Full details of this new rule are available on the CA FIA website at https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/food-imports/food-specific-requirements/romaine-lettuce-from-the-united-states/eng/1601488215302/1601488215678.
This fall the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team is rolling out two brand new classes as part of our From the Ground Up initiative to support new farmers and all small-medium size farms. Our goal in creating these two complementary programs is to give farmers the power to achieve success in food safety and business.
On Wednesday September 27, 2023, we will be debuting the new class called “From the Ground Up: Produce Safety Planning for Beginning Farmers” held at the Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge, NJ from 10:00am to 2:00pm. We designed this class to allow farmers to set themselves up for success in on-farm produce safety from the beginning, instead of having to go back later to correct infrastructure, systems, or training. A farm that has a well-established food safety culture is better able to meet market demands and consider production changes when planning for the future. Plan for your worker training needs, learn how to identify and reduce risk, and make a portable handwashing station to take home with you. Registration is $30.00 and includes lunch. Everyone who registers will get a voucher to attend our online “Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop” in October 2023 for free.
On Wednesday October 18th 2023, we will be holding our first Online Food Safety Plan Workshop from 6:00pm – 8:00pm Eastern Time via Zoom. The two-hour writing workshop will guide farmers through the step-by-step process of writing the plan best suited for their operation. All attendees will receive a customizable template to work with. A food safety plan can be used to standardize and streamline the training of new employees. This saves time in training and guarantees all members of a farm’s team take the same actions under the same circumstances. Having an on-farm food safety plan can guide farmers’ actions around food safety, forecast risk, serve as a worker training tool, and aid with overall organization.
Registration is $15.00 and free for everyone who attended our September 2023 program in Cream Ridge, NJ.
Follow these links to register and learn more about each class:
“From the Ground Up: Produce Safety Planning for Beginning Farmers”, Wednesday September 27, 2023, Cream Ridge, NJ, 10:00am – 2:00pm Eastern Time
“Online Food Safety Plan Workshop”, via Zoom, Wednesday October 18th 2023, 6:00pm – 8:00pm Eastern Time
