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Penn State Extension will offer a series of in-person and virtual training sessions for Pennsylvania fruit and vegetable growers on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and the co-management of natural resources and food safety.

The appropriations bill for FY 2026 prohibits FDA from using federal funds to implement FSMA 204 before the delayed July 2028 compliance date. Earlier implementation of the Traceability Rule could have enabled faster, more effective response to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce.

The resource provides recommendations and examples for implementing FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule requirements to control known or reasonably foreseeable biological hazards in fresh-cut produce.

FDA has announced the fiscal year (FY) 2027 user fee rates for importers approved to participate in the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) and accreditation and certification bodies interested in participating in the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program (TPP).

This episode of Food Safety Five highlights new research on cold storage practices for fresh-cut produce, food safety perspectives among small-scale produce growers exempt from FDA's FSMA Produce Safety Rule, and water management strategies that reduce arsenic in rice.

Researchers from Purdue University conducted focus groups with Indiana produce growers who qualified for exemptions from the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, examining the beliefs and practical constraints that shape on-farm food safety practices.

A series of tabletop exercises led by FDA and involving food companies across the supply chain revealed industry’s progress and challenges in meeting the requirements of the Food Traceability Rule/FSMA 204. 

The agency has released a discussion paper offering context and questions about the lot-level tracking requirements of the Food Traceability Rule to help shape engagements with industry, including a virtual public meeting in June.

The Food Traceability Rule training, offered through the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA), provides industry participants with foundational knowledge needed to understand and comply with FSMA 204 requirements.

In the second of this two-part episode series recorded live from the show floor of the 2026 Food Safety Summit, we interviewed Summit speakers from the regulatory, nonprofit, and industry spheres about topics discussed during their respective sessions, ingredient and labeling policy, FSMA, food safety culture, and more.