SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is ramping up its efforts to ensure the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is upheld. These efforts have included sending educational letters and questionnaires to 8,000 “small” and “very small” produce farms in the Golden State.

“California has many more produce farms than any other state in the nation,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Approximately 20,000 farms in the Golden State will now be subject to new food safety regulations under the Produce Safety Rule.”

According to a press release, the questionnaires will be returned to the CDFA by August 31 in order to verify commodities growing, determine whether annual sales qualify farms for a PSR exemption, and to help prioritize future inspections. PSR regulations, which are similar to food safety plans that many farmers have been implementing for years and that most grocery stores and restaurants already require, include ensuring:

• Produce is properly handled by workers
• Farm equipment is sanitary
• Produce is grown with safe soil inputs
• Measures are in place to prevent contamination of produce by wildlife or domesticated animals

CDFA created the Produce Safety Program (PSP) to help implement the PSR, to educate farmers, and to conduct on-farm inspections on behalf of the FDA. Resources available to farmers as part of the PSP include a website—featuring the ability to schedule an On-Farm Readiness Review and register for a Produce Safety Rule Grower Training Course, which is mandatory for at least one employee of every produce farm per the new regulations—a Facebook page, and an e-newsletter.

In addition, “large” farms have been undergoing inspection to verify PSR compliance since April. The current PSR stage also includes the following:

• Inspections are underway for “large” produce farms with average annual sales of $500,000 or greater during the previous three-year period.
• “Small” farms with average annual sales of $250,000–$500,000 during the previous three-year period are now expected to be in PSR compliance, with inspections set to begin in January 2020.
• “Very small” farms with average annual sales of $25,000–$250,000 during the previous three-year period must be in general compliance by January 2020, with inspections set to begin in January 2021.

The press release also noted that any farm that does not comply with the Produce Safety Rule may face economic, regulatory, and legal consequences. Minor violations will be handled through on-site education, in line with an “Educate Then Regulate” commitment. However, if there is significant and imminent threat to public health, a PSP inspector will inform the FDA and the California Department of Public Health, which may perform accelerated on-farm follow-up inspections or administrative detention orders up to and including seizure of the product that could cause people to get sick.

For more information, visit the CDFA website. And for more of the safest produce news, keep following AndNowUKnow.

California Department of Food and Agriculture