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Author: Sonia Salas

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Webinar Series on Food Safety Culture Begins Nov. 4

On November 4, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and STOP Foodborne Illness will be holding their first webinar in a new series on food safety culture. Food safety culture is a journey and learning opportunity for both small to large-scale businesses, the regulatory community and consumers. In support of the FDA’s New ...

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FDA Pesticide Residue Report: Levels Remain Low for Eighth Year in a Row

In its annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report for FY 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shared that the  levels of pesticide residues in the U.S. food supply are generally in compliance with established standards, as they have over the past eight years. The FDA tested for 812 pesticides and industrial chemicals across 4,692 ...

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Spinach Outbreak Investigation Update

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. As of Nov. 15, 2021, 10 people have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 across seven states. Illnesses started ...

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FDA Proposes Changes to the Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water Requirements

Today, December 2, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule to subpart E of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, adjusting the requirements of agricultural water for fresh produce operations subject to this regulation. According to FDA, these proposed requirements are intended to address stakeholder concerns ...

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FDA Webinar on Proposed Changes to the Ag Water Requirements of the Produce Safety Rule Scheduled for Dec. 16

On Dec. 16, 2021 at noon PT/ 3 p.m. ET, Western Growers in collaboration with Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Association, Northwest Horticultural Council, Produce Marketing Association, and United Fresh Produce Association will be hosting a free webinar featuring the FDA’s Consumer Safety Officer Kruti Ravaliya to provide an overview of the FDA’s long-anticipated proposed changes ...

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FDA Releases Plan for Improving Foodborne Outbreak Response

Today, December 9, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan, striving to enhance the speed, effectiveness, coordination and communication of outbreak investigations surrounding foodborne illness. FDA states that this will improve their ability to identify the sources and causes of foodborne illness outbreaks. This Foodborne…

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Free Risk-Based Thinking Food Safety Webinar on Jan. 13

A free webinar entitled “Risk-Based Thinking in Agricultural Food Safety” will be hosted by the CONTACT team (formed with the support of the Specialty Crops Research Initiative from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture) on Jan. 13. Dr. Donald Schaffner, Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist at Rutgers University’s School of Environmental and Biological ...

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FDA to Host Public Meetings on the Proposed Agricultural Water Requirements

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced they will be hosting two virtual public meetings to discuss the recently released revisions to Subpart E of the FDA’s Produce Safety Rule “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water.” Subpart E address agricultural water requirements for ...

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FDA Releases Results of First Domestic Investigation into CEA Salmonella Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this month released its first domestic investigation of a foodborne illness outbreak associated with leafy greens grown in a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operation. The outbreak, with cases reported from June 10, 2021 to August 18, 2021, was caused by Salmonella Typhimurium and resulted in 31 illnesses and four ...

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FDA Resources for Assistance with COVID-19 Supply Chain Disruptions

Last week, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released a host of resources to assist the food and agriculture industry in navigating supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a compilation of the resources: Report Supply Chain Problems/Request Assistance from the FDA: Food facilities and farms can report a closure or a ...

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Update on Oct. 2021 Onion Salmonella Outbreak Investigation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and state and local partners investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Oranienburg infections linked to whole, fresh onions imported from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, in cooperation with the Mexican competent authorities. As of February 2, 2022, CDC has declared this outbreak over. ...

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Update on Dec. 2021 Packaged Salad Listeria Outbreak Investigation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to packaged leafy greens. On January 7, 2022, as a result of continued investigations, the producer issued a voluntary recall of additional products after detecting ...

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FDA Releases Enforcement Guidance for Human Food with Chlorpyrifos Residues

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a guidance document titled Questions and Answers Regarding Channels of Trade Policy for Human Food Commodities with Chlorpyrifos Residues: Guidance for Industry. The guidance is intended to help food producers and processors who handle foods that may contain residues of the pesticide chemical chlorpyrifos. The Environmental ...

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March 11 Webinar on Proposed Ag Water Rule

On March 11, 2022, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and California Department of Food & Agriculture is co-hosting a webinar to discuss the recently released U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule, “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water.” The webinar ...

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New Research Advocates for a Data-Based Collaborative Approach to Harvest Equipment Sanitation and Hygienic Design

On February 14, a white paper on harvest equipment sanitation titled “Periodic Deep Cleaning Study of Harvesting Equipment” was made publicly available that advocates for a data-based approach to Periodic Equipment Cleaning (PEC) and hygienic redesign of harvest equipment. The report was coordinated by the Leafy Greens Harvester Sanitation and Hygienic Design Working Group. PEC includes…

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New FDA Report Finds No PFAs in Sampled Produce

A report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found no PFAs in the sampled produce that was part of the organization’s most recent testing of the general food supply. Eighty nine of 92 food samples showed no detectable levels of PFAs, while three seafood samples – tilapia, cod and shrimp – had detectable ...

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FDA Releases Summary Report on Avocado and Guacamole Sampling Assignment

On March 16, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released findings from a sampling assignment that collected and tested processed avocado and guacamole from November 2017 to September 2019. The assignment sought to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in processed avocado and guacamole as part of the FDA’s ongoing ...

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FDA Launches Ag Water Assessment Builder to Help Farms Understand Ag Water Proposed Rule Requirements

On March 21, 2022, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new Agricultural Water Assessment Builder to help farms understand the proposed requirements for an agricultural water assessment in the Agricultural Water Proposed Rule. Use of the tool is optional. If finalized, the proposed rule would require farms to conduct systems-based agricultural water assessments…

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Preservation Inc./CURES to Hold Events on Central Coast Water Quality

Under Ag Order 4.0, Preservation Inc. (PI) continues monitoring water quality of Central Coast agricultural-dominated waterways. In these upcoming meetings, PI will review past and current sampling results from the Cooperative Monitoring Program (CMP) in the Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys. The Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewarship (CURES) will report on its best management…

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Upcoming WG Science Webinar: REP Strains, the CDC and FDA’s Perspective, and STEC Investigation Learnings

The development of whole genome sequencing (WGS) has improved foodborne illness surveillance and outbreak detection. Use of WGS has led to the recognition of some pathogenic strains that cause reoccurring, emerging, or persisting (REP) illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal and state partners ...

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