- On May 2, 2024, FDA published a final rule on agricultural water to enhance produce safety. The rule, titled Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for
PRODUCE SAFETY
FDA Published Updated Leafy Green STEC Action Plan
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- On November 17, the FDA updated its Leafy Green STEC Action Plan (LGAP). FDA first released the LGAP in 2020 following recurring outbreaks linked to leafy greens caused by
FDA Announces it Will Not Review and Evaluate the Alignment of Third-Party Food Safety Standards Beyond Those That Were Part of a 2021 Pilot Study
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- We reported on FDA’s October 26, 2020 notice of a voluntary pilot program under which FDA would assess whether private third-party food safety audit standards submitted in the study are
New Report Outlines FDA’s Strategy to Ensure the Safety of Imported Produce
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- On September 27, the FDA released “Activities to Enhance the Safety of Imported Produce,” a report which details how the Agency’s 2019 strategy for safeguarding imported food specifically
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FDA Enforcement Discretion for Agricultural Water
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- On January 26, 2022, FDA published a constituent update reminding produce stakeholders about FDA’s intention to exercise enforcement discretion for agriculture water requirements for covered produce, except for those related
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FDA Releases Cyclospora Action Plan
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- FDA released its Cyclospora Prevention, Response, and Research Action Plan on July 1 as part of FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. The Action Plan is modeled after
FDA Publishes FY20-FY21 Romaine Lettuce Sampling Results
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- On May 25, the FDA published a constituent update notifying the public of released findings from a sampling assignment that tested raw agricultural commodity romaine lettuce at facilities and on
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FDA Announces New Sampling Plan for Romaine Lettuce Grown in the Yuma, Arizona Growing Region
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- After an Environmental Assessment of factors potentially contributing to the contamination of romaine lettuce with E. coli O157:H7 that was implicated in a 2018 multi-state foodborne illness outbreak (discussed here
FDA Releases a New EPA-Approved Protocol for Evaluating the Efficacy of Antimicrobial Pesticides in Agricultural Water
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- In the United States between 2009 and 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 40 outbreaks of food-borne illness
FDA Provides States Flexibility to Start Routine Inspections on Small Farms As Early As January 1
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- As previously reported, both states’ departments of agriculture and FDA have begun visits to produce farms to conduct inspections for compliance with the Produce Safety Rule. The FSMA final