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NSAC News

food safety

Release: NSAC Welcomes FDA’s Risk Based Approach to the Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water

May 3, 2024

The FDA released the Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water, which finalizes a series of updates to Subpart E of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule. This final rule represents an impressive shift from the original one-size-fits-all approach to one that can be adapted to farms of varying types and sizes. NSAC has been actively engaged in this process, and welcomes this risk-based final rule, which reflects years of listening and learning on behalf of FDA and the broader stakeholder community…. Read More →

Filed Under: Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Press Releases

Release: NSAC Welcomes Pragmatic Senate Proposal as a Concrete Step Toward a Bipartisan Farm Bill Reauthorization

May 1, 2024

NSAC applauded the renewed momentum toward a bipartisan farm bill reauthorization prompted by the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) release of a detailed section-by-section description of its farm bill reauthorization proposal. The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act framework charts a path for completing a farm bill this year. NSAC is extremely encouraged to see a pragmatic Senate farm bill proposal that includes numerous bipartisan policies. The proposal takes meaningful steps to build a fair and accessible farm safety net for farmers and ranchers, protect conservation and climate spending, and invest in local and regional food systems…. Read More →

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Press Releases

Inside the FY22 Appropriations Package: Wins for Sustainable Agriculture

April 7, 2022

On March 15th President Biden signed H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, also known as the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Omnibus. In this blog post, NSAC examines the content of the FY 2022 agriculture appropriations bill and how NSAC’s appropriations priorities fared in the process…. Read More →

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Carousel

Unpacking the House Appropriations Committee FY 2022 Agriculture Funding Bill

July 22, 2021

On June 30th, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved its fiscal year (FY) 2022 Agriculture Spending bill. The full House Appropriations Committee markup and approval followed the Agriculture Subcommittee’s approval of the funding bill on Friday, June 12. The agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for a wide range of farm and food programs, […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Budget and Appropriations, Carousel, Conservation, Energy & Environment, General Interest, Local & Regional Food Systems, Research, Education & Extension

Funding Now Available to Help Farmers with FSMA

February 10, 2021

Farmers are working to improve food safety on the farm, and prepare for Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) inspections, but this requires both assistance and resources. We are excited that the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) applications have just opened up and will provide organizations with funding to assist and help farmers and small food businesses with […]

Filed Under: Carousel, Food Safety, General Interest

Food Safety Outreach Program Grants Recently Awarded

January 12, 2021

At the end of 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded funds through the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) to several organizations who plan to provide educational resources and assistance to farmers and food businesses working to improve their food safety practices…. Read More →

Filed Under: Carousel, Food Safety

How the Biden-Harris Administration Can Support a More Sustainable and Resilient Food System

December 1, 2020

NSAC has identified the most pressing issues facing the sustainable agriculture community for the Biden-Harris Administration to prioritize in order to rebuild our food system. At the top of the list are issues like addressing the climate crisis, building a more resilient food supply chain, addressing longstanding issues of racial inequities, strengthening anti-trust enforcement, and scaling up investments in public research…. Read More →

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Carousel, Competition & Anti-trust, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Coronavirus, Local & Regional Food Systems, Research, Education & Extension

A Decade After FSMA, Additional Rules Still Rolling Out

February 6, 2020

Nearly ten years after the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still issuing new rules. With the temporary lull in FSMA-related policy activity coming to an end, there will be renewed need for public action on FSMA rulemakings once they are issued later this year. In […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Implementation & Rule-making

Regional Meetings Give Voice to Small Scale Meat and Poultry

August 16, 2019

The rising demand for local, niche meat and poultry over the past decade has led to ever-increasing reliance on the country’s few small-scale independent processing plants that operate outside of the broader commodity meat sector. When one of these small plants is shutdown or suspended, therefore, the impact can be resounding, having many of the […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Sustainable Livestock

From the Farm to the Hill: NSAC Hosts FY 2020 Farmer Fly-in

July 10, 2019

Last week, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) brought in over a dozen farmers and advocates for the Coalition’s second “farmer fly-in” of 2019. Fly-in advocates from ten different states across the country came to DC to champion the federal programs important to them and their communities before congressional appropriators. Currently, Congress is negotiating federal […]

Filed Under: Budget and Appropriations, Farm Bill, Grants and Programs

Over $7.5 Million Available for Food Safety Training and Outreach Grants

April 26, 2019

As implementation begins for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules, farmers and food businesses are increasingly looking to Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP)-funded programs for resources and training to help them come into compliance. FSOP is a federal grants program that funds community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, cooperative extension, […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Grants and Programs

FDA’s Draft Guidance: How to Comply with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule

April 11, 2019

The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule is complex. There are still questions about how it will be enforced for the first time and the required actions and tools farms need to comply. Some of these questions might be answered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Draft Guidance on the Produce Safety […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

The FSMA Produce Safety Rule: An Inspection Preview

March 5, 2019

Food safety inspections on produce farms are beginning this month, but there are still questions as to what the first round of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule inspections will look like. The fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be regulating farms for the first time is concerning for many […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

Stories from the Field: From Food Safety Training to Audit Day

December 6, 2018

An audit or inspection can be a nerve-racking experience for any business owner. Farmers in North and South Carolina, however, have greatly benefited from having a trusted ally – the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) – to help them through the process. Through their Local Produce Food Safety Initiative, CFSA, an NSAC Member, provides farmers […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

RELEASE: New Food Safety Support Available to Farmers Across Sixteen States

December 4, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Reana Kovalcik National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 202-547-5754, rkovalcik@sustainableagriculture.net New Food Safety Support Available to Farmers Across Sixteen States Pending the Outcome of the 2018 Farm Bill, Support Could be Extended Nationwide Washington, DC, December 4, 2018 – Starting next year, produce growers in 16 states will gain access to no-cost voluntary Harmonized Good […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Press Releases

FSOP Grantees Provide Essential Trainings on Food Safety Compliance

October 23, 2018

Deadlines and inspection dates are coming up soon for many producers and business owners who need to comply with new requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Even for farmers who are exempt from FSMA requirements, private buyers often require some form of third-party food safety certification. The Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) helps […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Grants and Programs

Is My Operation a “Qualified Facility” Under FDA’s Preventive Controls Rules?

September 21, 2018

Are you a small food business owner interested in a partial exemption from some of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules? Under the Preventive Controls Rules for Human and Animal Food, a “qualified facility” is exempt from the Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls (HARPC) and the Supply Chain Program requirements. Recently, the […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, General Interest

Food Facility Registration Q&A Adds Clarity to Food Safety Requirements

September 7, 2018

The first step for most farms trying to navigate the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is to determine whether or not a specific rule applies to their farm operation. When it comes to the Preventive Controls for Human Food (“Preventive Controls”) rule, farmers now have some additional clarity on whether or not they are exempt. […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

Smaller Farms Likely to Face Higher Food Safety Compliance Costs

August 31, 2018

American producers operating smaller farms will have a higher price to pay when it comes to complying with the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (“Produce Rule”), according to a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) report. Compliance costs for the smallest farms are estimated to be as […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

Updated Resources: Food Safety Modernization Act Flow Chart

July 27, 2018

With inspections on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule slated to begin in 2019 and compliance dates for qualified food facilities coming up this September, time is of the essence for farmers and food enterprises to make sure they know whether and to what extent they are affected by the latest FSMA […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

Draft Senate Farm Bill: Local & Regional Food and Rural Development

June 9, 2018

This is the fourth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the draft farm bill released on June 8, 2018 by the Senate Agriculture Committee. Subsequent posts will focus on beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and crop insurance and commodity subsidies. The bill is expected to be considered and “marked-up” (aka amended) by the full Agriculture Committee […]

Filed Under: Farm Bill, Food Safety, Local & Regional Food Systems, Marketing and Labeling, Nutrition & Food Access, Rural Development

Top Ten Reasons to Reject the House Farm Bill

April 30, 2018

1. Helps the big get bigger and rich get richer Over the last three decades, American agriculture has become increasingly consolidated. As of 2015, a majority of our food (51 percent) came from farms with over $1 million in annual sales – up 20 percent since 1991. Federal policy has historically contributed to this consolidation […]

Filed Under: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Conservation, Energy & Environment, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Grants and Programs, Local & Regional Food Systems, Nutrition & Food Access, Organic, Research, Education & Extension, Rural Development

Nearly $7 Million Available for Farmer Food Safety Training

April 19, 2018

Now that the new federal food safety requirements have finally been finalized for produce farmers and food processors, there is a critical need for targeted food safety training and outreach to get American producers and processors prepared for compliance with these new regulations. As part of its passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), […]

Filed Under: Food Safety, Grants and Programs

Update: Food Safety Modernization Act Exemptions

April 3, 2018

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published updated information for producers and small businesses trying to determine whether and to what extent they may be impacted by FDA’s new food safety rules. Exemptions to the Food Safety Modernization Act If you recall from our previous posts about FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules, […]

Filed Under: Food Safety

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