California Ag Network

Tag: Produce Safety Program

  • Produce Safety Program Launches Website

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 24, 2018) – A new website has been launched by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to help California farmers understand how to comply with new food safety regulations known as the Produce Safety Rule, which went into effect nationwide in January.

    The website introduces users to the Produce Safety Program, a newly created unit operating under CDFA’s Inspection Services Division.  The Produce Safety Program is responsible for conducting on-farm inspections on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule among California fruit, vegetable and nut farmers.

    “It’s estimated some 20,000 California produce farms are covered under this new regulation,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The job of bringing these farms into compliance with the Produce Safety Rule is a very large task, and CDFA is committed to working with farmers to give them the information they need.”

    The FDA has determined that on-farm inspections to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule will not begin until 2019.  This gives CDFA time to begin getting the word out to farmers about how to comply with the new regulation.

    Via the website, produce farms and industry members can join a mailing list to receive regular updates from the Produce Safety Program.

    “The Produce Safety Program plans to spend the coming year doing everything possible to inform and educate California produce farmers about the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule,” said Natalie Krout-Greenberg, CDFA’s director of Inspection Services. “CDFA’s vision is for 100 percent compliance with the Produce Safety Rule.  Our hope is that required food safety practices will become ingrained in the culture of California produce farming so that our state continues to grow the safest produce possible.”

    Visit the site at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/producesafety/about.html

    Contact:

    Steve Lyle

    Director of Public Affairs

    California Department of Food and Agriculture

    916-654-0462

  • CDFA Introduces Produce Safety Program

    Sacramento, Calif., (January 30, 2018) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is announcing the creation of a new unit within its Inspection Services Division called the Produce Safety Program.  This unit has been created to assist California produce farms in understanding the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act.  The unit will be responsible for conducting on-farm inspections on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will begin in 2019 to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule, which became effective January 26, 2018 for produce farms designated as “large” – defined as those with $500,000 or more in annual sales.  Smaller farms will be phased in over the next few years.

    “It’s estimated some 20,000 California farms will fall under this new regulation,” explained California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “This will be a big job and we will all need to work cooperatively to achieve our vision of 100 percent compliance.”

    CDFA’s plan is to first educate farmers about the Produce Safety Rule and then regulate farms by verifying their compliance with it by keeping required records on adherence to best practices and providing ongoing health and hygiene training for workers, among other provisions. CDFA is launching an educational program and is asking produce associations to join-in to help spread the word.

    To administer the program, inspectors employed by CDFA are required to be credentialed by the FDA and have specialized training and education to conduct authorized routine inspections on behalf of the federal agency.

    Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will continue to serve in its role to ensure the safety of California’s food supply.  If a CDFA Produce Safety Program inspector believes there is a significant and imminent threat to public health on a produce farm, he or she will inform CDPH of the situation for evaluation and potential regulatory action.

    Under the Produce Safety Rule, every produce farm must have at least one employee on staff who has completed an FDA-recognized grower training course.  CDFA is offering training courses in both English and Spanish at several locations throughout the state.  Produce farmers who do not yet have an employee who has completed the training should do so immediately.

    “CDFA will also be offering a series of non-regulatory On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR),” said Natalie Krout-Greenberg, Director of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division.  “These are designed to give produce farmers a better understanding of what they can expect from a routine Produce Safety Program inspection.  Information on how to schedule an OFRR will be available very soon.”

    CDFA’s Produce Safety Program is developing an informational website that will be accessible to all produce farmers and the public next month. The website will be located at www.cdfa.ca.gov/prducesafety/.