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Collaboration Is Key

Growers, compliance, and FSMA’s Produce Safety rule
Government Views

Each regional center has partnered with a dozen or more land grant institutions across the region and in the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories. The regional centers have also liaised with state and local regulators as well as community-based and nongovernmental organizations to maximize training effectiveness and delivery opportunities.

Evolving Technical Assistance
The FDA is focusing on providing technical assistance in a variety of ways. There are preparations for guidance documents that, once issued, should help farmers and packers better understand how to comply with the regulatory requirements in the ­Produce Safety rule.

Guidance includes additional clarity and more commodity/agricultural practice examples farmers and packers can reflect upon as they think through applying these practices to their own unique operations. In addition, AMS has reviewed most of the early versions to provide feedback and content.

The Produce Safety Network (PSN) is a cadre of FDA staff stationed around the country. As they become familiar with the various commodities, conditions, and practices within their regions, AMS staff is providing resources for PSN leaders to familiarize themselves with local, regional, and state commodity groups; USDA research and promotion boards and marketing order committees; land grant university experiment farms; and AMS federal program managers across the nation.

The FDA’s “Building the Produce Safety Network” webpage provides an overview of the PSN and a map showing regions and proposed staffing.

Under Review
Biological soil amendments of animal origin requirements in the Produce Safety rule warrant continued consideration. To this end, AMS and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service participated in a “Soil Summit” meeting held earlier this year and hosted by PSA.

The meeting provided the FDA with many other sources of information and farmer perspectives on the use of manure and compost. A summary document, which includes a discussion of research results and risk assessment activities, farmers’ use of various biological soil amendments within production systems, and priority areas within the scope of this Produce Safety rule provision, will be available for consideration by the FDA.

­The approach related to agricultural water requirements within the context of the Produce Safety rule continues to evolve. The FDA published its final rule, which addresses various components of ­agricultural water requirements including a sanitary survey, qualitative and numerical standards depending on the use of the water, as well as sampling and testing frequencies depending on the water source, indicator organism, test methods, and corrective measures. The FDA also provided two additional years for compliance with some of the water requirements.

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