Time, Money, Infrastructure to Comply with Food Safety Requirements Among Top Concerns for Produce Growers

October 22, 2019Blog, News, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 21, 2019 Contact: Hannah Packman, 202-554-1600hpackman@nfudc.org WASHINGTON – Although local food producers are broadly committed to food safety on their operations, there are still some barriers to implementing food safety best practices, according to a Needs Assessment Report released today by National Farmers Union Foundation’s Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC) and Cornell … Read More

Starting from Scratch: Learning about Food Safety with LFSC

May 1, 2019Blog, News

What do Spring and interns have in common? Both arrive every year, bringing new energy and a fresh, vibrant perspective. Our interns make a lasting impact on the work we do and they help to further our mission of supporting family farmers across the country through food safety outreach, education and training. In this blog … Read More

Food Safety Education

August 2, 2017News

By Barbara Patterson, NFU Director of Government Relations  Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2010. It will require many producers to comply with new regulations if they grow food for human or animal consumption. The regulations are intended to protect consumers from food-borne illness. Many producers who will be regulated by FSMA … Read More

FDA to Extend Compliance Dates for Agricultural Water Standards

June 9, 2017News

June 9, 2017 By Skylar Schneider, Executive Assistant Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600 cmatzen@nfudc.org This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will be extending the compliance dates for agricultural water requirements established by the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) produce safety rule (PSR). This extension does not include sprouts, however. The agricultural … Read More

Q&A With an Urban Grower on Food Safety

June 1, 2017News

June 1, 2017 By London Muegge, Education Intern Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600 cmatzen@nfudc.org The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011 by President Obama, and is the largest reform to our country’s food safety laws since 1938. Its purpose is to ensure our food supply is safe by putting … Read More

NIFA Announces $4.8 Million in Available Funding for Food Safety Projects

April 27, 2017News

April 27, 2017 By Skylar Schneider, Executive Assistant Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600 cmatzen@nfudc.org This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $4.8 million in available funding through the Food Safety Outreach Program. Per NIFA, the purpose of this funding is to “develop and implement food safety training, … Read More

Update on the State Produce Implementation CAP

April 25, 2017News

April 25, 2017 By Skylar Schneider, Executive Assistant Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600 cmatzen@nfudc.org In September 2016, 42 states received federal funding through the State Produce Implementation Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) to be used for development of produce safety programs that provide education, technical assistance, inspection, compliance, and oversight regarding the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). … Read More

FDA Posts Answers to FSMA-Related Questions

April 18, 2017News

April 18, 2017 By Skylar Schneider, Executive Assistant Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600 cmatzen@nfudc.org The Food Safety Modernization Act, also known as FSMA, may at times feel cumbersome or confusing. To make it simpler, the FDA developed the Technical Assistance Network (TAN), a central area for questions related to FSMA. TAN recently shared a list of … Read More

FDA Considering Simplifying Agricultural Water Standards

March 23, 2017News

By London Muegge, Education InternContact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600cmatzen@nfudc.orgThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering simplifying agricultural water standards under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) due to stakeholder feedback. The feedback included concern that the standards, which include numerical criteria for pre-harvest microbial water quality, would be too difficult to understand and implement by … Read More