JEFFERSON CITY — The purpose of the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule is to shift food safety regulations from a system that focuses on responding to contamination to one that focuses on preventing them. The rule sets forth procedures, processes and practices that minimize the risks to consumers from eating raw fruit and vegetables that could be contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasitic organisms that cause food borne illnesses.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture is one of 43 states working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through a cooperative agreement to advance efforts for a nationally integrated food safety system. The Department Produce Safety Program will ensure producers are prepared for the rule by offering producer educational opportunities, producer trainings and On-Farm Readiness Reviews. The Department is working with University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University Extension to provide numerous training and educational opportunities for growers. Click here to see a list of opportunities to attend a training on the Produce Safety Rule.
Grower training certificates are a mandatory condition to be compliant with the Produce Safety Rule.
To assist in efficiently implementing the Produce Safety Rule provisions, the Department asks produce growers to register online by clicking here.
Registered producers will be eligible to receive notifications concerning Produce Safety Rule trainings and be eligible for an On-Farm Readiness Review.
Click here for more information about the Department’s Program Safety Program.
— Missouri Department of Agriculture
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