WASHINGTON, DC - Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule on agricultural water. This rule is meant to represent an important step toward enhancing the safety of produce. In response, the International Fresh Produce Association issued a statement.
“Since its introduction in 2015 as a subpart of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, our industry has been working with FDA to enhance the original agricultural water regulation so it is easier to understand and implement,” said Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer Natalie Dyenson. “Much progress has been made from the original proposal, which was overly complex, one-size-fits-all, and didn’t allow for flexibility considering existing scientific limitations. This final rule highlights FDA’s willingness to incorporate stakeholder feedback and ultimately put forth a rule that protects public health.”
The FDA stated the revised requirements to the rule are intended to enhance public health by improving the safety of water used in produce cultivation and are designed to be practical across various agricultural water systems, uses, and practices while remaining adaptable to future advancements in agricultural water quality science.
Specifically, the rule:
- Establishes requirements for agricultural water assessments that evaluate a variety of factors that are key determinants of contamination risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water
- Includes testing pre-harvest agricultural water as part of an assessment in certain circumstances
- Requires farms to implement effective mitigation measures within specific timeframes based on findings from their assessments
- Adds new options for mitigation measures, providing farms with additional flexibility in responding to findings from their pre-harvest agricultural water assessments
“One of our Council’s biggest concerns was the potential for a final rule that did not align with how the produce industry operates every day, which is why they were intent on providing thoughtful and insightful guidance,” said Dyenson. “Seeing their expertise reflected in the spirit of the final rule is a great illustration of the power of collaboration between industry and regulators to ensure rules are both realistic and workable.”
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