Fact Sheet
Elizabeth A. Bihn
Director, Produce Safety Alliance
Cornell University Dept of Food Science
1 PSA Southwest Regional Extension Associate, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456
2 PSA Spanish Language Extension Associate, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456
3 PSA Northwest Regional Extension Associate, Cornell University, Plattsmouth, NE, 68048
4 PSA Midwest Regional Extension Associate, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456
5 PSA Coordinator, Cornell University, Geneva, NY, 14456
6 Regional Extension Agent, Alabama Cooperative Extension, Grove Hill, AL, 36451
7 Director, Produce Safety Alliance, Cornell University Dept of Food Science, Geneva, NY, 14456
On January 4, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law. It represented the first major update of food safety regulations in the United States in approximately 80 years. The FSMA Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (i.e., Produce Safety Rule) are the first federal regulatory requirements focused on practices aimed at preventing microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables. The Produce Safety Rule covers agricultural water, worker training, wildlife and domesticated animals, sanitation, and soil amendments. Soil amendments include biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAOs), such as untreated manure and composted manure, that may serve as a potential source of contamination to fruits and vegetables. The Produce Safety Rule requires growers to implement specific practices to prevent BSAAOs from contaminating fresh produce. The Factsheet entitled FSMA Produce Safety Rule: Documentation Requirements for Commercial Soil Amendment Suppliers was developed to help both growers and suppliers understand what information is required by the Produce Safety Rule as well as practices that can be implemented to reduce microbial risks. This factsheet was highlighted in the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) October 17, 2019 Newsletter, which was distributed to a listserv of 5,093. It was also shared during the PSA Trainers & Lead Trainers Annual Update Webinar October 16, 2019, where 219 attended. There have been 193 views of the pdf since October 7, 2019 and 96 downloads of the word format document that can be edited for use by third-party soil amendment suppliers.