Proposed Changes to Agricultural Water Requirements in Produce Food Safety Rule

Gordon Johnson, Extension Vegetable & Fruit Specialist; gcjohn@udel.edu

The FDA is proposing to revise certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) in Subpart E of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. This proposal, if finalized, would replace the pre-harvest microbial quality criteria and testing requirements for such produce in the Produce Safety Rule with requirements for systems-based pre-harvest agricultural water assessments that covered farms would use for hazard identification and risk management decision-making purposes

Water Rule Announcement: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-proposed-rule-agricultural-water

Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/12/06/2021-26127/standards-for-the-growing-harvesting-packing-and-holding-of-produce-for-human-consumption-relating

FDA is holding public meetings on the proposed changes in February.

Additional information on the changes has been summarized in the two factsheets linked below:

Agricultural Water Proposed Rule Factsheet

Factors to Consider as Part of Agricultural Water Assessment Factsheet