On May 2, 2024, the FDA published a final rule on agricultural water, representing an important step toward enhancing produce safety. The revised requirements are intended to enhance public health by improving the safety of water used in produce cultivation. The revisions are also designed to be practical across various agricultural water systems, uses, and practices while remaining adaptable to future agricultural water quality science advancements. The new rule establishes requirements for agricultural water assessments that evaluate various key determinants of contamination risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. Including an evaluation of the water system, water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, potential impacts on water from adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors. The new rule requires farms to implement effective mitigation measures within specific timeframes based on findings from their assessments. Hazards related to certain activities associated with adjacent and nearby land uses are subject to expedited mitigation. The new rule adds new options for mitigation measures, providing farms additional flexibility in responding to findings from pre-harvest agricultural water assessments. Farms must conduct assessments of their pre-harvest agricultural water annually and identify any conditions likely to introduce known or reasonably foreseeable hazards into or onto covered produce or food contact surfaces whenever a significant change occurs. The revisions will more comprehensively address a known route of microbial contamination that can lead to preventable foodborne illness.@ https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-publishes-landmark-final-rule-enhance-safety-agricultural-water?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
