Tag: CDFA

CDFA Produce Safety Program Debuts New PSP Portal Website

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) announces the official launch of its new Farm Data Repository website for California farms and farm inspections to support statewide compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Also known as the PSP Portal, this new digital resource provides California produce growers and handlers the ability to:

  • View their own inspection reports related to their own farms online.
  • Engage and respond to inspection-related action items digitally, including document uploads.
  • Communicate conveniently with CDFA PSP staff members.

PSP Portal welcome log-in emails were sent to California produce farms on rolling basis this year through August 2024. California produce growers and handlers that have received a welcome email are encouraged to log into the PSP Portal in a timely manner to verify the accuracy of their farm information that is on file with the State of California. The PSP Portal Login Instructions in 3 Easy Steps Flyer is included in each welcome log-in email and also available on the PSP Portal website.

If you did not receive a PSP Portal welcome log-in email, you can request one through the PSP Portal Log-in webpage or by emailing producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov.

Inspection reports and related documents dated prior to August 26, 2024, will continue to be added to the system on a rolling basis. If you require immediate access to your inspection report, please click the “Contact the Produce Safety Program Staff” link located at the bottom of the PSP Portal webpages or email producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov to submit a request and a staff member will assist you.

In January 2024, CDFA PSP announced the development of this new, digital data repository system. Additional announcements on the PSP Portal development progress were released in April 2024 and July 2024. Training workshops to assist produce growers and handlers on how to use the PSP Portal are planned for Fall 2024. More details about these workshops will be shared in the future.

What is the PSP Portal? The PSP Portal is a cloud-based farm data repository platform that allows California produce farmers and growers to view their own farm information and have on-demand access to their digital produce safety inspection reports related to their own farms. In addition, the PSP Portal will provide resources to support on-farm compliance with the requirements of the federal FSMA Produce Safety Rule and provide a convenient way for California growers to connect with PSP staff. The new technology will also allow the Produce Safety Program to focus inspection efforts based on food safety risk factors to help ensure a safe and quality food supply for all consumers of California fresh produce in the state, nationally and beyond.

CDFA Launches Produce Safety One Health Initiatives Webpage

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) announces the launch of a Produce Safety One Health Initiatives webpage dedicated to California’s actions for enhanced produce safety based on the One Health approach.

In response to a series of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with leafy greens between 2018 to 2020, CDFA launched the California Longitudinal Study (CALS) in 2020 and California Agricultural Neighbors (CAN) in 2021. These actions are part of a collaborative effort across government agencies (federal, state, and local), universities, industry associations, and members of the produce, viticulture, livestock, and compost industries to initiate dialogues, address knowledge gaps, and foster enhanced produce safety practices.

The research efforts taking place in California are based on the globally supported One Health approach, a multidisciplinary systems-thinking approach that recognizes the health of people is interconnected to the health of animals, plants, and our shared environments. The One Health approach is a fundamental component of the national Healthy People initiative, released every decade since 1990 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which guides health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of the nation.

The California Longitudinal Study (CALS) is a multi-year study launched in 2020 targeted towards adaptively identifying environmental factors affecting foodborne pathogens to address knowledge gaps and assist in solutions-oriented outcomes for growers and affiliates in the agriculture industry. To accomplish this, California’s leafy green industry is collaborating with state and federal agencies, the UC Davis Western Center for Food Safety, and partners across California’s cattle, viticulture, and compost industries.

California Agricultural Neighbors (CAN) is a collaborative effort led by CDFA and the Monterey County Farm Bureau (MCFB) launched in 2021 that provides a roundtable forum to foster dialogue and neighborly practices for enhanced food safety when agriculture operations are adjacent to one another. CAN efforts are supported by the California Farm Bureau Federation, California Cattlemen’s Association, Western Growers Association, and the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement to help with facilitation services provided by Abby Dilley, RESOLVE. The full 2022 CAN Report is available for review here.  

To learn more about California’s Produce Safety One Health Initiatives, please visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/producesafety/onehealthinitiatives/.

FDA Publishes Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water

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On May 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule on pre-harvest agricultural water revising certain requirements in Subpart E of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) for covered produce (other than sprouts) for enhanced produce safety.

The new rule replaces the prior pre-harvest water microbial quality criteria and testing requirements with requirements for systems-based agricultural water assessments for hazard identification and risk management. Agricultural water assessments will now need to be conducted once annually, and whenever a significant change occurs that increases the likelihood of hazards being introduced to produce or food contact surfaces. The new rule does not change existing agricultural water requirements for sprouts or harvest and post-harvest water uses.

FDA states this new 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. This includes an evaluation of the water system, water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, potential impacts on water from adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors.
  • 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. Hazards related to certain activities associated with adjacent and nearby land uses are subject to expedited mitigation.
  • Adds new options for mitigation measures, providing farms with additional flexibility in responding to findings from their pre-harvest agricultural water assessments.

The final rule is effective July 5, 2024. Compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) are as follows[1]:

  • For Large farms: April 7, 2025 (9 months after the effective date of the final rule)
  • For Small farms: April 6, 2026 (1 year, 9 months after the effective date of the final rule)
  • For Very Small farms: April 5, 2027 (2 years, 9 months after the effective date of the final rule)

If you have questions about the Produce Safety Rule, please contact producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov.

Additional Resources:

[1] Under the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, farms sizes are classified by the average annual gross produce sales adjusted for inflation over a 3-year period. Click here to learn more about the FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut Offs. “Large” farms have average annual produce sales above $500,000 adjusted for inflation. “Small” farms have average annual produce sales above $250,000 and up to $500,000 adjusted for inflation. “Very Small” farms have average annual produce sales above $25,000 and up to $250,000 adjusted for inflation.

CDFA Produce Safety Program Launches Phase 1 of the Online PSP Portal Including California Produce Grower Notifications

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) announces the launch of Phase 1 of the Farm Data Repository website, also known as the PSP Portal.

Beginning in April 2024, California produce farms required to comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule will be added into the system on an ongoing, rolling basis. Once added, growers can anticipate receiving a welcome email notification with instructions on how to create an online account and verify their account information.

Growers who receive a welcome email are encouraged to login and verify the information listed for their farm to ensure accurate information regarding their own operations is on file with CDFA PSP.

Questions and technical support requests regarding the PSP Portal can be submitted to producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov.

In January 2024, CDFA PSP announced the development of a new, digital data repository system for California farms and farm inspections to support statewide compliance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

The PSP Portal website will result in California farmers having password-protected access to the data CDFA PSP collects on their farms and operations, including inspection reports and educational communications. Additionally, this system will allow CDFA PSP to efficiently allocate inspection efforts based on food safety risk factors to help ensure a safe and quality food supply for the people of California and beyond. 

Produce Safety Program Offers Flooding Response Resources for California Produce Growers

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program announces a new Flooding Response Resources section has been added to its PSP Educate webpage.

As seasonal storms are underway, this new section offers several educational resources related to flooding and produce safety on farms. The California agricultural community is encouraged to visit this site regularly as new resources become available.

In Guidance for Industry: Evaluating the Safety of Flood-affected Food Crops for Human Consumption, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines flooding in the context of produce safety as the flowing or overflowing of water from sources outside a farmer’s control onto lands used to grow, harvest, pack, or hold produce. Flooding events can pose a public health risk as flood waters may contain sewage, chemicals, heavy metals, pathogenic microorganisms, and other contaminants.

If the edible portion of a crop is exposed to floodwaters, it is considered adulterated under section 402(a)(4) (21 U.S.C. 342(a)(4)) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and should not enter human food channels. For crops that were in or near flooded areas but whose edible portion did NOT contact flood waters, growers should evaluate the safety of the crops for human consumption on a case-by-case basis for possible adulteration.

If you are impacted by flooding or would like to receive more information on how to respond to flooding with regards to produce safety, please reach out to us at producesafety@cdfa.ca.gov. The CDFA Produce Safety Program can provide technical assistance to California produce growers and can help connect you with experts through the CDFA Technical Assistance Program.

CDFA Produce Safety Program Announces Development of New Digital Farm Data Repository Website

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The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Produce Safety Program (PSP) announces the development of a new digital pathway for fresh produce farmers in California to access their own inspection records and produce safety resources online.

Starting in late 2024, California fresh produce farmers will be able to log into a new cloud-based PSP farm data repository website to view their own farm information and have on-demand access to their digital produce safety inspection reports related to their own farms.

In addition, the PSP farm data repository website will provide resources to support on-farm compliance with the requirements of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule and provide a convenient way for California farmers to connect with PSP staff. The new technology will also allow the Produce Safety Program to focus inspection efforts based on food safety risk factors to help ensure a safe and quality food supply for all consumers.

This project will be delivered in two phases. Phase 1 is planned for release in early 2024, with Phase 2 expected to be in development throughout the year and a full system launch anticipated in late 2024.

The CDFA Produce Safety Program’s mission is to ensure California produce farmers understand how to comply with the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule, resulting in a safer food supply for the people of California and beyond. The central PSP farm data repository website helps to put the “M” in the Food Safety Modernization Act for a safer produce supply chain and to align with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety.