Path B Missouri's Produce Safety Program - Missouri Department of Agriculture The FDA's Cooperative Agreement Program for States and Territories to Implement a National Produce Safety Program PAR-21-174 Project Period: 2021-2026 Abstract/Summary The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) is dedicated to the promotion and protection of the state's agriculture industry. A 2017 MDA and Missouri Farm Bureau-funded economic impact study determined that agriculture is the state’s number one industry with more than 88 billion dollars of annual economic impact. According to 2017 NASS data, Missouri has produce grown on roughly 3,077 of farms. It is estimated that 95% of these produce farms will not be covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule since their sales do not exceed $25,000 or the farm is eligible for a Tester-Hagan Qualified Exemption. The Department is well positioned to continue the development of the Produce Safety Program begun in 2017 under the first FDA Cooperative Agreement for Produce Safety and help growers achieve compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Produce Safety Program clearly supports the Department's mission "To serve, promote, and protect the agricultural producers, processors, and consumers of Missouri's food, fuel, and fiber products." The Department will pursue “Path B” as outlined in the Funding Opportunity Announcement. The intention is to oversee both outreach and regulatory activities, enforcing the Produce Safety Rule solely under FDA authority. An inventory of farms is critical and methods for capturing the Farm Inventory were carefully considered so that it can be gathered, maintained, and shared in a manner which supports an integrated food safety system. The Program will continue to track all Farm Inventory data in the WinWam database since this software program has integrated well with the outreach and inspection objectives of the Program. Throughout the grant period, the Department will continue to partner as appropriate with Extension at the University of Missouri to provide training to producers. This outreach relies on seasoned educators working to emphasize key components of the Produce Safety Rule. It allows the Department to 1) “educate before we regulate”, 2) achieve greater compliance with the Rule, and 3) minimize the risk of food borne illness no matter who grows the produce. Finally, the Department has designed and implemented a compliance program to regulate growers covered by the Produce Safety Rule. It is a cooperative effort with other regulatory programs within the State, with other states, and in partnership with FDA.
