During the peak of the Avian Flu (also known as “bird flu) outbreak in 2015, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) wrote about the problems with USDA rules that placed the burden for certain losses on contract growers, paying indemnities only to the integrators (companies that own but don’t raise the animals). At the time, […]
Food Safety
Direct Marketing and Local Food the Focus of House Agriculture Committee Hearing
Farmers, ranchers, and advocates from across the country gathered yesterday, February 2, 2016, to speak with members of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research about their experiences in direct farmer to consumer marketing, farm to institution marketing, and other local food strategies. The subcommittee convened six expert witnesses, with support from […]
New Guidebook Helps Farmers Promote Conservation and Food Safety at the Same Time
A brand new handbook by NSAC member organization Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) explains how farmers can implement conservation activities while also complying with new food safety regulations. The guidebook, entitled Co-Managing Farm Stewardship with Food Safety GAPs and Conservation Practices, A Grower and Conservationist’s Guidebook, addresses the misconception that conservation efforts, such as installing buffers […]
Top 15 Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in 2015
All that we have to be grateful for in 2015, from promoting conservation to empowering beginning farmers… Read More →
Massive Year-End Funding Bill A Mixed Bag But Includes Significant Wins for Sustainable Agriculture
Final appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2016 will fund programs supporting sustainable agriculture… Read More →
Understanding FDA’s New FSMA Rule for Produce Farms – Part 2
This is the second in a multi-part series analyzing FDA’s recently released rule that sets standards for the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce for human consumption (aka “the Produce Rule”). The first post addressed those farms that may be fully or partially exempt from the Produce Rule. This post provides an overview of […]
Understanding FDA’s New FSMA Rule for Produce Farms – Part 1
First in a multi-part series analyzing FDA’s recently released Produce Rule… Read More →
The (Un)Coordinated Framework of GE Regulations
Those tuned into the biotechnology regulatory landscape will have noticed quite a few changes and announcements from the federal government lately. Several agencies have been asking for public comments, announcing proposed rules, releasing guidance, and taking other actions related to biotechnology, or genetic engineering (“GE”). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health […]
RELEASE: NSAC Comments on Produce Rule
FDA released the much-anticipated final rule detailing preventive standards for farms that grow, harvest, pack, or hold covered produce for human consumption. … Read More →
What to Look for in the FSMA Produce Rule
On November 2, FDA announced that the food safety rule governing the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce — as well as rules governing foreign suppliers and third party accreditation – was submitted to the Federal Register for final publication. … Read More →
Group Food Safety Certification Coming in 2016
Since 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has been partnering with the Wallace Center at Winrock International to pilot a group food safety certification option called GroupGAP. USDA recently previewed the planned expansion of the GroupGAP pilot to a full program, which will become available nationwide in the spring of 2016. […]
Food Safety Training Centers Announced
With one Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) rule finalized, and another expected by the end of the month, the talk has turned to implementation. NSAC has long advocated that robust farmer education, outreach, and training are critical components to successful FSMA implementation. Particularly for produce growers, valued-added farming operations, and small food processors – many […]
NSAC Delivers 2016 Sustainable Agriculture Funding Requests
On Tuesday, October 6, NSAC delivered a letter to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to support sustainable agriculture priorities in the final fiscal year 2016 appropriations legislation. Congress is currently debating funding levels for the remainder of 2016 fiscal year, which began on October 1. On the final day of […]
Who is Subject to FDA’s New FSMA Food Facilities Rule? – Part 3
This is the final post in our multi-part series analyzing FDA’s recently released Preventive Controls Rule for Human Food, and the rules and requirements for farms and facilities that may fall under its purview. The first post analyzed those farms and food enterprises that are exempt from the rule. The second post looked at exemptions […]
Who is Subject to FDA’s New FSMA Food Facilities Rule? – Part 2
This post is the second in a multi-part series analyzing FDA’s recently released Preventive Controls Rule for Human Food, and the rules and requirements for farms and facilities that may fall under its purview. The first post analyzed those farms and food enterprises that are exempt from the rule. This post explores exemptions from certain […]
Who is Subject to FDA’s New FSMA Food Facilities Rule? – Part 1
This post is the first in a multi-part series analyzing FDA’s recently released Preventive Controls Rule for Human Food, and the rules and requirements for farms and facilities that may fall under its purview. This first post addresses those farms and food enterprises that are exempt from the rule. Subsequent posts will look at facilities […]
FDA Releases Final FSMA Food Facilities Rule
FDA issued the final Preventive Controls Rule establishing new food safety standards for food processing facilities…… Read More →
Release: FDA Facilities Rule Contains Significant Improvements, But Concerns Remain Regarding Impacts on Farmers
Washington, DC, September 11, 2015 – On September 10, 2015, FDA released the much-anticipated final rule detailing preventive control standards for facilities producing food for human consumption. Once officially published in the Federal Register – scheduled for September 17, 2015 – the rule will go into effect in sixty days and compliance clocks will start […]
$3 Million Available in New Specialty Crop Multi-State Program – Food Safety Highlighted
Federal grant funding totaling $3 million in funding is now available through the new Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP). The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a press release on Friday, September 4, 2015 and a Request for Application this week. The SCMP will provide funds to State departments of agriculture on a competitive basis […]
What to Look For in the FSMA Facility Rule
On Monday, August 31 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the final Preventive Controls Rules for Human and Animal Food have been submitted to the Federal Register for publication, which means farmers and processors are one step closer to new food safety standards that will shortly go into effect. It will likely […]
Members of Congress Call on FDA to Begin Outreach and Education to Farmers on New Food Safety Rules
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) poised to release new food safety rules for produce growers and food facilities this fall, Members of Congress are drawing attention to the urgent need for outreach, education, and training – particularly as faced by small-scale farms newly subject to food safety requirements. Members of both the House […]
Guest Blog: New Study Points to Benefits of Conservation for Food Safety
Editor’s Note: This blog was co-authored with Jo Ann Baumgartner. Jo Ann, formerly an organic farmer, is executive director of the Wild Farm Alliance. She works on conservation-based agriculture and is the author of A Farmer’s Guide to Food Safety and Conservation: Facts, Tips and Frequently Asked Questions. Wild Farm Alliance is a represented NSAC […]
FDA Funding Available to Build Food Safety Training Infrastructure
On August 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the availability of funding to establish two Regional Centers for food safety training, education, outreach, extension, and technical assistance. These centers will work in tandem with the yet-to-be-named National Coordination Center as part of a joint effort between the USDA’s National Institute for Food […]
Ready or Not, Here Comes FSMA! – Part 2
Yesterday, we published an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules that FDA will be finalizing this fall. It included a recap of the rulemaking process, a timeline to keep in mind as the rules are finalized, and information on key implementation issues. This post wraps up the FSMA update with a focus […]