The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced the successful registration of the first antimicrobial treatment for pre-harvest agricultural water, marking a significant milestone in pre-harvest water safety.

“This registration, a landmark achievement in our collective efforts to improve food safety, marks the first ever approval of a treatment for use against foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli, in the agricultural water used to grow produce.” According to an update shared by the FDA. This milestone follows the FDA-EPA’s revised efficacy protocol for testing antimicrobial treatments.

This approval provides farmers with a valuable new tool to manage the safe use of pre-harvest agricultural water, helping with pathogen reduction in pre-harvest water. Robust treatment options support pre-harvest water safety, which is key under the FDA’s new rule on agricultural water.

More information can be found here.