Produce & Plant Products Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information

Guidance for Industry

Guidance documents contain nonbinding recommendations

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Overview

• FDA's Role in Traceback Investigations for Produce January 2001
• For information related to Produce Safety Standards under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), see FSMA Produce Safety Standards.

Produce

• FDA Issues Draft Guidances for Tomatoes, Leafy Greens and Melons
  • Questions and Answers on FDA’s Proposed Commodity-Specific Guidances (CSGs)
  • Draft Guidances:
    • Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Tomatoes (July 2009)
    • Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Melons (July 2009)
    • Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Leafy Greens (July 2009)
• Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (October 26, 1998)
  (Also available in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic*)
  • The Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables In Brief: Guide at a Glance May 1999
  • Analysis of Comments to the Proposed Guide: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables October 26, 1998
• Final Guidance: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables (February 2008)
• Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards For Sprouted Seeds (October 1999)
• Sampling And Microbial Testing Of Spent Irrigation Water During Sprout Production (October 1999)

Industry Guidance in Collaboration with FDA

• Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production, Harvest, Post-Harvest, and Processing Unit Operations of Fresh Culinary Herbs January 24, 2013
• Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production, Harvest, Post-Harvest, and Valued-Added Unit Operations of Green Onions February 26, 2010
• Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Melon Supply Chain, 1st Edition November 7, 2005
• Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain, 2nd Edition July 2008
• Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Lettuce and Leafy Greens Supply Chain, 1st Edition April 25, 2006
   

FDA Letters to Industry

• Letter to Firms that Grow, Harvest, Sort, Pack, Process, or Ship Fresh Cantaloupe (November 2011)
• Letter to Firms that Grow, Harvest, Sort, Pack, or Ship Fresh Cilantro (March 2011)
• Letter To California Firms that Grow, Pack, Process, or Ship Fresh and Fresh-cut Lettuce November 4, 2005
• Letter To Firms that Grow, Pack, or Ship Fresh Lettuce and Fresh Tomatoes February 5, 2004
   

Survey of Domestic Fresh Produce

• FDA Survey of Domestic Fresh Produce - Domestic Produce Assignment (DFP # 05-20) August 3, 2005
• FDA Survey of Domestic Fresh Produce - FY 2000/2001 Field Assignment January 2003
  With Supplemental Information from the FY2001 Follow-up Survey of Imported Fresh Produce
• Survey of Domestic Fresh Produce:
  • Interim Results as of June 30, 2001
  • Interim Results as of July 31, 2001
• Constituent Briefing - Domestic Produce Sampling Survey Enforcement Plan July 28, 2000
• Constituent Briefing - Domestic Produce Sampling Survey August 10, 2000
• Constituent Briefing - Domestic Produce Sampling Survey May 19, 2000
   

Survey of Imported Fresh Produce

• FDA Survey of Imported Fresh Produce - Import Produce Assignment (DFP # 05-16) March 18, 2005
• FDA Survey of Imported Fresh Produce - FY 2001 Field Assignment January 18, 2001 (DOEP # 01-07)
• FDA Survey of Imported Fresh Produce - FY 1999 Field Assignment (Survey results - January 30, 2001)
  • FDA Survey of Imported Fresh Produce, November 1, 1999 (REVISED Imported Produce Assignment - FY 99 DOEP # 99-4)
     

Sampling Assignments

• FDA Survey of Domestic Fresh Produce - Domestic Produce Assignment FY 2011 (DFP&G # 11- 01) October 18, 2010
• FDA Survey of Imported Fresh Produce - Import Produce Assignment (DFPG # 11- 02) October 1, 2010
• FDA Survey of Imported and Domestic Fresh Produce - Import and Domestic Produce AssignmentsFY 2011 (DFP&G # 11-01 & 11-02) October 1, 2010

 

Nuts

• Measures to Address the Risk for Contamination by Salmonella Species in Food Containing a Pistachio-Derived Product As An Ingredient (June 2009)
• Measures to Address the Risk for Contamination by Salmonella Species in Food Containing a Peanut-Derived Product as an Ingredient (March 2009)

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* Available upon request