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  5. Public Meetings on Draft Produce Safety Rule Guidance
  1. Workshops, Meetings & Webinars on Food and Dietary Supplements

Public Meetings on Draft Produce Safety Rule Guidance

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration held four one-day public meetings to discuss the recently published draft guidance created to help farmers meet the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule.

The draft guidance, entitled “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption: Draft Guidance for Industry,” is a compliance and implementation guide that gives information and examples to demonstrate how farmers can meet the rule’s requirements in various ways. Established by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the rule requires that domestic and foreign farms use science and risk-based preventive measures to protect their fruits and vegetables from contamination.

The public meetings will be held in different regions of the country to provide information and facilitate comment so that stakeholders can better evaluate and provide input on the draft Produce Safety Rule guidance. The information presented will focus on the various chapters of the draft guidance: general provisions; personnel qualifications and training; health and hygiene; biological soil amendments of animal origin; domesticated and wild animals; growing, harvesting, packing and holding activities on a farm; equipment, tools, buildings, and sanitation; records; and variances. Stakeholder panels will discuss various issues. There will be opportunities for questions and open public comment.

For additional information, see the Federal Register Notice announcing the meetings.

Meeting Information

First Public Meeting - Portland, OR (November 27, 2018)

Portland, OR Transcript  Portland, OR Meeting Agenda

Second Public Meeting - Anaheim, CA (November 29, 2018)

Anaheim, CA Transcript  Anaheim, CA Meeting Agenda

Third Public Meeting - Albany, NY (December 11, 2018)

Albany, NY Transcript  Albany, NY Agenda

Fourth Public Meeting - Atlanta, GA (December 13, 2018)

Atlanta, GA Transcript  Atlanta, GA Agenda

Presentations

Commenting

The comment period opens November 1, 2018. Comments are due by April 22, 2019.  

To submit electronic comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. FDA-2018-D-3631.  

Written comments must be sent to:
Docket Management Staff (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
All submissions received must include the Docket No. FDA-2018-D-3631. 

The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time at the end of April 22, 2019. Comments received by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

For additional information on commenting, see the Federal Register Notice announcing the meetings.

 
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