Articles in this section contain information helpful to the NJ commercial organic grower.
Are you a produce farm who has not yet had a FSMA Produce Safety Rule inspection? Have you received communication from the NJ Department of Agriculture about the Produce Safety Rule? Smaller size produce operations are currently being inspected by the NJDA for FSMA PSR compliance. If you have not yet had an inspection you may be subject to one this season. Here is what you need to know:
If you grow and sell over $25,000 in produce annually you may be subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. The NJDA will contact your farm to ask several questions to understand if the rule pertains to you. What crops do you grow? How much in produce sales do you make on an average year? What percentage of your sales are made direct to consumer (farm stand, farmers market, CSA, direct to an individual grocery store, direct to an individual restaurant)? What are your total food sales (including any food for human and/or animal consumption including hay, grain, baked goods, meat, milk, honey, chewing gum, etc.) for an average year? You may have previously answered these questions via a survey that was mailed to you, or over the phone with NJDA staff.
The NJDA is currently scheduling inspections with farms across the state of all sizes. If you receive a phone call or email from the NJDA about a Produce Safety Inspection date, do not ignore the communication. The inspection will take place and warning letters can be sent to farms who are not in compliance with the rule.
Have questions about if your farm is exempt or qualified exempt from the rule? Remember that qualified exempt farms need to prove their exemption status, this can be done by using the qualified exempt review template on page 5 of the recordkeeping guidance from the Produce Safety Alliance.
Farms that need to comply with the rule are required to attend FDA approved training. The next training in NJ will be held online on September 15th and 16th. Other online trainings are available from other states, visit the Produce Safety Alliance website for more details. The approved training covers the Produce Safety Rule requirements and ways of complying with them.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension is working with other extension professionals in the northeastern states to deliver weekly, one-hour webinar programming for agritourism and on-farm direct market operators. The 3rd session will focus on what to do in the event of an confrontation, accident, or injury, and how to communicate with the media in a crisis. Registration is being handled through the University of Vermont. See information below to join the webinars. There are separate registrations for each event. 