After years of ambiguity and confusion, farmers and small food enterprises primarily selling value-added products directly to consumers finally have some much-needed clarity on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements for food facility registration. On July 14, 2016, FDA finally finalized its Preventive Controls Rule, clarifying that small farms […]
food safety
FDA Final Rule Provides Needed Clarity for Local Food Producers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sophia Kruszewski, 810-441-9947 Ferd Hoefner, 202-547-5754 FDA Final Rule Provides Needed Clarity for Local Food Producers Washington, D.C., July 13, 2016 – The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) welcomes the issuance of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final rule amending the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements for food […]
Comprehensive verification toolkit is needed domestically, too
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared as an Op-Ed piece in Food Safety News (FSN) on June 11, 2016. The piece was written by NSAC Policy Staffer, Sophia Kruszewski in response to a June 6, 2016 piece by FSN Editor, Dan Flynn. Dan Flynn’s June 6 article in Food Safety News, “Third-party auditor certification: Not the only tool […]
Seven Major FSMA Rules Now Final
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently finalized two of the remaining major rules required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): one governing shippers, carriers, and any other entity involved in transporting food (the “Transport Rule”), and another overseeing intentional acts of adulteration in the food supply (the “Intentional Adulteration Rule”). These […]
$5 Million Available for Farmer Food Safety Training Projects
Following recently finalized federal food safety requirements for produce farmers and food processors, there… Read More →
GroupGAP Offers Affordable Certification Option for Small and Mid-sized Farms
GAP (short for “good agricultural practices) certification is a USDA audit program… Read More →
Farmers Fly in to the Capital to Advocate for Sustainable Agriculture
Throughout the month of March, farmers, ranchers, and “ag-vocates” from across the country traveled to DC for a series of “farmer fly-ins”, sponsored by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). During the fly-in the groups met with Senators and Representatives from their home states to discuss the benefits of federal sustainable agriculture programs, and to […]
More Funding Available for Fruits and Veggies through Specialty Crop Grant
The term “specialty crop” is a bit of a misnomer. A specialty crop is not some kind of exotic plant, not an obscure herb or flower, specialty crops are quite simply the fruits and vegetables that are (or should be) a staple of most diets. Even though specialty crops consist of some of the healthiest […]
Do FDA’s New Food Safety Rules Apply to Your Farm or Food Business?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized two new food safety rules under the FSMA… Read More →
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 […]