Source: FDA, 3/21/22
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new
user-friendly online Agricultural Water Assessment Builder to
help farms understand the proposed requirements for an agricultural water
assessment in the Agricultural
Water Proposed Rule. Use of the tool is optional. If finalized, the proposed rule would require farms to conduct
systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate
measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural
water. The assessment would include an evaluation of the water system,
agricultural water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental
conditions, potential impacts on source water by activities conducted on
adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors, such as the results of optional
testing. Covered farms would be required to conduct pre-harvest agricultural
water assessments annually, and whenever a significant change occurs that
affects the likelihood that a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard will be
introduced into or onto produce or food contact surfaces. The Agricultural Water Assessment Builder prompts users to
answer questions and/or fill in information specific to their farms.
Information entered into the tool is not shared with the FDA and will not be
saved. However, users have the opportunity save or print the information they
provide to their local computers. This user-friendly tool incorporates information from the
Agricultural Water Proposed Rule, the Final Qualitative Assessment of Risk to
Public Health from On-Farm Contamination of Produce, and the 2015 Produce
Safety Final Rule. The development of this tool is consistent with our objectives
in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint to look for smarter tools and approaches for food safety. We welcome feedback on this optional tool, such as suggestions related to the tool’s functionality and, useability. Feedback on the tool can be sent to agwaterbuilder@fda.hhs.gov. For Additional Information
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