The Produce Safety Rule is a new regulation that covers the minimum food safety standards for growing, harvesting and packing produce on farms.
These new safety standards include requirements for agricultural water quality, employee health and hygiene, wildlife and domesticated animals, and soil amendments, as well as equipment, tools, and buildings.
One of the most frequently asked questions about the Produce Safety Rule is “do I have to be compliant?” The resources below will help you learn more about this rule and provide information on exclusions and exemptions, compliance timelines, and key requirements for compliance.
Resources
- FSMA Final Rule on Produce Safety English Spanish
21 CFR Part 112, Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption - Produce Safety Rule Key Requirements
- What to expect now that larger farms must comply with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule
- Exemptions and Exclusions Flowchart (PDF)
- WSU Exemptions and Exclusions Factsheet- Draft (PDF)
- FSMA inflation adjusted cut-offs
- FDA Small Entity Compliance Guide- Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption: What You Need to Know About the FDA Regulation
Upcoming Compliance Dates
For covered activities, other than those involving sprouts (which have additional requirements and earlier compliance dates):
- January 26, 2018: Covered farms for which, on a rolling basis, the average annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous 3-year period is more than $500,000.
- January 28, 2019: Covered farms for which, on a rolling basis, the average annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous 3-year period is more than $250,000 but not more than $500,000 (small businesses).
- January 27, 2020: Covered farms for which, on a rolling basis, the average annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous 3-year period is more than $25,000 but no more than $250,000 (very small businesses).
Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) houses the statutes that comprise the Food Safety Modernization Act and other federal laws.
Although it can be a daunting document, we’ve broken the CFR out by sections and included links that present the information in digestible chunks.
Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption
SUBPARTS
- A: General Provisions
- B: General Requirements
- C: Personnel Qualifications and Training
- D: Health and Hygiene
- E: Agricultural Water
- F: Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin and Human Waste
- I: Domesticated and Wild Animals
- K: Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding Activities
- L: Equipment, Tools, Buildings and Sanitation
- M: Sprouts
- N: Analytical Methods
- O: Records
- P: Variances
- Q: Compliance and Enforcement
- R: Withdrawal of Qualified Exemption