FDA Proposes Revision for Produce Safety Rule's Agricultural Water Requirements
On December 2, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule that would revise part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, specifically subpart E. This would change certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts.
Under the proposal, farms would be required to conduct annual systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. The assessment would include various evaluations, such as the water system, agricultural water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, potential impacts on source water by activities conducted on adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors, such as the results of optional testing.