FDA Extends Compliance Deadlines for Some Provisions of Produce Safety Rule

The Food and Drug Administration will give farms more time to comply with agricultural water requirements set by its produce safety regulations, FDA said in a final rule. Farms, other than sprout growing operations, will now have until Jan. 26, 2024, if they are a very small business under the produce safety rule; Jan. 26, 2023, if they are a small business; and Jan. 26, 2022, for all other businesses. The compliance dates for sprouts are unchanged, and have all passed. The extension also results in the alignment of all agricultural water compliance deadlines under subpart E of the produce safety rule so that they all fall on the same date, with some original deadlines extended by two years and others by four. Importers must verify their suppliers of covered produce comply with the produce safety regulations as part of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program.