The US Food and Drug Administration recently released a final rule on the Standards for Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water for covered produce in its efforts to enhance produce safety.
The rule introduces requirements for agricultural water assessments and mitigation procedures aimed at further minimizing risks associated with pathogens that can come from some water sources and may spread to contaminate crops. The testing of pre-harvest agricultural water becomes part of the assessment in some instances, with farms being required to implement mitigation measures within specific timeframes. The rule adds new mitigation options for additional flexibility from previous rules.
Assessments need to be completed by covered farms on an annual basis or after an event that could affect water quality (flood, excessive rain, hurricane etc.)
Compliance dates for covered produce after the effective date of July 5th, 2024 are:
- Large farms: 9 months after the effective date – 4/7/25
- Small farms: 1 year, 9 months after the effective date – 4/6/26
- Very small farms: 2years, 9 months after the effective date – 4/5/27
The issuance of the rule solicited requests for more information and questions which the FDA would like to address during the webinar. It will then take the opportunity to share additional info.
The webinar is planned for Monday, May 20th, 2024 from 1-2pm ET. Use this link to register for the event.
