#FSMA

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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.

Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.

FDA PROPOSES CHANGES TO PRODUCE SAFETY RULE AGRICULTURAL WATER REQUIREMENTS

Nicole Cook

Jan 11, 2022
4 min

FDA PROPOSES CHANGES TO PRODUCE SAFETY RULE AGRICULTURAL WATER REQUIREMENTS

This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. On December 6, 2021, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published a new proposed rule that revises the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) (Subpart E of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR)). This is the latest step in the FDA’s implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FDA is holding two virtual public meetings abou

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What does the FDA think is a “reasonably foreseeable hazard” in produce safety?

Nicole Cook

Jun 1, 2021
4 min

What does the FDA think is a “reasonably foreseeable hazard” in produce safety?

This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Farms subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule are required to take all measures reasonably necessary to identify, and not harvest, produce that is likely to be contaminated with a “known or reasonably foreseeable hazard.” But, what qualifies as a “reasonably foreseeable hazard?” According to the FDA, growers in central California should now consider a particular strain of E. coli a

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FSMA - Updates and Produce Safety Rule Training

Sarah Everhart

Sep 29, 2020
3 min

FSMA - Updates and Produce Safety Rule Training

This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. September offered up several FSMA updates for growers, including the first injunction against a food producer for food safety violations, a new proposed rule for food traceability, and the first Maryland Produce Safety Rule Grower Training opportunity for the 2020-2021 winter season. FDA Issues First FSMA Permanent Injunction The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 1

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Have You Taken The Food Safety Training You Need?

Sarah Everhart

Dec 17, 2019
2 min

Have You Taken The Food Safety Training You Need?

By Sarah Everhart The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. There will be several Produce Safety Rule Trainings throughout the state this winter, hosted by a team of experts from the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the University of Maryland, for producers who need to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Farmers who grow produce that is often consumed raw (e.g. berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers

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FSMA Inspections Are Underway. Are You Ready?

Nicole Cook

Nov 19, 2019
3 min

FSMA Inspections Are Underway. Are You Ready?

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Nearly 10 years after the Federal Food Safety Modernization Act, or “FSMA,” was signed into law, and nearly 5 years after the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) published the final Produce Safety Rule (“PSR”) implementing FSMA, the new routine inspections to verify compliance with the PSR have begun. Routine inspections of produce farms (other than sprout operations

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Good News for Specialty Crop Growers: USDA’s Harmonized GAP Plus+ Now Fulfills Technical Requirement

Nicole Cook

Nov 14, 2018
3 min

Good News for Specialty Crop Growers: USDA’s Harmonized GAP Plus+ Now Fulfills Technical Requirement

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. This summer brought some good news for specialty crop growers in terms of streamlining produce safety regulatory requirements for farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that USDA’s Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Plus+ Audit Program for specialty crops is now accepted as technically equivalent by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GF

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Recent FDA Guidance on FSMA Produce Safety Rule and Preventive Controls Rule

Nicole Cook

Oct 23, 2018
7 min

Recent FDA Guidance on FSMA Produce Safety Rule and Preventive Controls Rule

By Nicole Cook This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. If you’ve been following this blog for news about updates about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), then yout know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been busy over the past year issuing new guidance on its FSMA’s Produce Safety and Preventive Controls rules. Regulatory agencies, like the FDA, issue “Guidance” and “Fact Sheets” to answer specific qu

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Not Sure Where To Start With FSMA Compliance? Have You Tested Your Water?

Sarah Everhart

Jul 31, 2018
3 min