FDA Extends Deadlines for Agricultural Water Proposed Rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking that extends the compliance dates for pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined in the recent 2021 Agricultural Water Proposed Rule. The proposed rule, if finalized, will require farms to conduct annual, systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine the necessary measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water.
FDA is now proposing extended compliance dates for the proposed pre-harvest requirements and is also providing clarifying information about the enforcement discretion policy for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements. The supplemental rulemaking proposes to establish the following compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts: