A Coordinated National Approach to Supporting Promoting and Implementing FDA's Produce Safety Rule and the Produce Regulatory Program Standards

PROJECT SUMMARYSince establishing a multi-state Technical Working Group in 2013 the NationalAssociation of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has been working with theUnited States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states and territories to implementthe Produce Safety Rule (21 CFR Part 112) as authorized under the Food SafetyModernization Act (FSMA). In response to RFA-FD-24-012 NASDA will continuebuilding on the achievements under previous cooperative agreements to meet emergingneeds identified by FDA states and territories.The NASDA project entitled A Coordinated National Approach to Supporting Promoting andImplementing FDA's Produce Safety Rule and the Produce Regulatory Program Standards willcontinue building on three important objectives: Objective 1: Supporting the efforts of federal state and territorial government agencies in building a Produce Safety Integrated Food Safety System. Objective 2: Supporting and expanding established systems for sharing promoting and collaborating on best practices operating documents procedures and other tools to foster a consistent national produce safety program. Objective 3: Supporting the maintenance and advancement of the Produce Regulatory Program Standards (PRPS).These three objectives will support FDA's goal of developing implementing and improving anationally consistent support system which facilitates the implementation of state and territorialproduce safety regulatory programs that are modernized and aligned with the standards setforth in the FDA's rule: Standards for the Growing Harvesting Packing and Holding ofProduce for Human Consumption (commonly referred to as the Produce Safety Rule).The proposed collaborative assistance offered to state and territorial produce safety regulatoryprograms will improve their effectiveness and enhance their capabilities. Other expectedoutcomes include promotion of a broad understanding of the Produce Safety Rule greater levelsof industry compliance with the Produce Safety Rule's requirements and ultimately betterprotection for consumers from foodborne illness.