Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Industry Guidance

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) convened a small group of volunteers from members of the 140+ IFPA Food Safety Council.

Volunteers were tasked with preparation of guidance materials targeted to audiences seeking to comply with the United States of America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) requirements for agricultural water, promulgated as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

While sections of the rule relating to pre-harvest agricultural water (Subpart E) were under revision by the FDA during the preparation of this guidance document, the resulting briefs and other communications rely on scientific evidence that are applicable to many different cropping systems, recognizing that the rule applies to virtually all produce that is likely to be consumed raw, regardless of where or how it was grown.

The goal was to address the most common points of confusion and to provide additional resources for the produce industry.

As a living document, additions and revisions will continuously occur to improve upon the support materials offered herein. Most importantly, the final provisions within Subpart E of the PSR for pre-harvest agricultural water have not been finalized, so this document is subject to updates pending final regulation release.