FDA Won't Enforce Produce Safety Regs for Hops, Wine Grapes, Pulses and Almonds
The Food and Drug Administration will hold off on enforcement of its produce safety regulations for certain crops that are rarely consumed raw but weren’t exempted by its 2015 final rule, FDA said in a draft guidance document issued March…
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27. Hops, wine grapes, some pulses (e.g., dry peas) and almonds did not initially meet FDA’s three-part test used to determine initial exemptions for foods rarely consumed raw, but FDA has since received information that supports finding the crops exempt. “We are considering pursuing rulemaking to address the unique circumstances of these commodities,” FDA said. “In the meantime, FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion with respect to the Produce Safety Rule for entities growing, harvesting, packing or holding hops, wine grapes, pulse crops, and almonds. This means that we will not expect entities growing, harvesting, packing or holding these commodities to meet any of the Produce Safety Regulation requirements with respect to these commodities.”