FSMA Call To Action!

Now is the time to start spreading the word and urging folks to take action on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). FDA has issued two sets of proposed rules for implementing FSMA, the Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls Rule.

The deadline for getting your comments to the FDA is November 15.

FSMA is a federal food safety law. The comprehensive measure grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) broad new power to enforce food safety standards on farms. It could impact produce growers, farms that aggregate product with other farms and farms that even minimally process what they produce.  Vern Grubinger, vegetable and berry specialist at UVM Extension, has analyzed the proposed rules and has developed an informative document on what it means and how to comment by November 15. See here www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/Understanding_FSMA_Rule.pdf

Please take advantage of these resources developed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition:

• INFORMATIVE WEBINAR: Thursday, 10/10 at 4:30 ET - OPEN TO ALL - especially targeted to organizations and farmers. We will walk folks through the FSMA 101 / issues and how to take action 

• COMMENT CAMPAIGN LANDING PAGE IS LIVE: it contains action instructions, comment templates, and more--share it widely!

• ALERTS: There are social media samples in the FSMA toolkit, including our Twitter hashtag #fixFSMA

• PRESS COVERAGE: Check out recent Civil Eats article 

• MATERIALS FOR YOU: Remember that the toolkit, commenting templates, and handouts are all available online for you to download and use

New England Farmers Union (NEFU) has also analyzed these proposed rules to understand the impact on our agricultural economy, especially in New England.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is preparing to submit substantive comments to the FDA. Please check the Agency’s website for more details on their position.

Get educated and submit your comments to FDA. Your voice can make these rules better. If FDA doesn’t hear from Vermonter and New Englanders, the impact of these rules could be worse.