FSMA

Professor Testing Water in A Lab

General Information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in 2011 with the goal of preventing food safety problems. The FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) is the first mandatory federal standard for fruit and vegetable production in the United States.

FSMA PSR Water Quality states:

“All agricultural water must be safe and of adequate sanitary quality for its intended use.” (§ 112.41)

    • Agricultural water - “water that is intended to, or is likely to contact the harvestable portion of covered produce or food-contact surfaces.” (§ 112.3(c))

      • Production Water - used to grow and care for plants
      • Post-Harvest Water - used to wash the produce during harvest or after it is picked.

Who is covered and who is exempt from FSMA’s PSR?

Farms Covered:

    • Commercial farms with more than $25k / year of produce sales (average last 3 years).

Farms Exempt: 

    • Farms with less than $25k / year of produce sales (average last 3 years).
    • Produce that is not raw or only for personal use.
    • Food grains.

Farmers Market Picture


If not required, why test? Simply a good idea. Keeps all consumers safe.