In addition, FDA has also updated the Produce Safety Rule page with the most current information on the rule’s requirements, compliance dates, training, technical assistance, and other resources. Today marks the first major compliance date for large farms (other than sprout growers) under the Produce Safety Rule. However, in September 2017, FDA announced that routine inspections under the rule would be postponed until Spring 2019 to allow time during this upcoming year for additional education, outreach, and training.
The Produce Safety Rule mandated by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) establishes, for the first time, science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce grown for human consumption; marking a fundamental shift from reacting to food safety problems to preventing them before they occur.
These updates are part of FDA’s commitment to ensuring that farmers, and other food producers, have the information and resources they need to comply with the new FSMA standards. FDA will continue to make information available to help stakeholders comply with the various FSMA requirements. Those interested should subscribe to the CFSAN Constituent Update and Food Safety Modernization Act email lists for the most up-to-date information.
About 48 million people in the U.S. (1 in 6) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a significant public health burden that is largely preventable.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is transforming the nation’s food safety system by shifting the focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it. Congress enacted FSMA in response to dramatic changes in the global food system and in our understanding of foodborne illness and its consequences, including the realization that preventable foodborne illness is both a significant public health problem and a threat to the economic well-being of the food system.
FDA has finalized seven major rules to implement FSMA, recognizing that ensuring the safety of the food supply is a shared responsibility among many different points in the global supply chain for both human and animal food. The FSMA rules are designed to make clear specific actions that must be taken at each of these points to prevent contamination.
information on this post created to fda.gov