Kansas Produce Growers Inventory
A project of the Produce Safety Rule Grant awarded to the Kansas Department of Agriculture by the Food and Drug Administration

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is committed to helping farms and businesses educate themselves about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Produce Safety Rule.

FSMA was passed by Congress in 2011 to better protect public health by ensuring food safety. The Produce Safety Rule (PSR) is one of the seven FSMA rules which seek to minimize risks that may occur during the growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fresh produce. Some of the key components of the PSR cover agricultural water, soil amendments, domesticated and wild animals, worker training and hygiene, equipment and tools, and sprouts. The PSR went into effect in 2016 and will require covered farms and businesses to become compliant. The Kansas Department of Agriculture will provide tips, education and resources to farms and businesses prior to the compliance deadlines to help them implement a plan. 

 Provide Information for Assistance with the Produce Safety Rule

Complete the survey online.

To print a form or download a fillable PDF version, click here.

 
What is the Produce Safety Rule? Will it affect my business?
The FDA Produce Safety Rule is part of FSMA and focuses on standards for safe production through preventative measures at each stage of the production chain in produce.

Not all farms will be subject to the PSR. Some may be exempt or eligible for modified requirements. To determine if the PSR applies to your farm or business, review the Produce Safety Rule Decision Chart.

FSMA Final Rule on Produce Safety: A summary of the rules that will be implemented on covered farms.

Read the exemptions from the PSR

 
Understanding terms in the Produce Safety Rule

• Produce
  • Fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption
• Covered Produce
  • Produce that is not exempt from the PSR. Exemptions include:
    • Produce that is not a raw agricultural commodity
    • The following produce commodities that FDA has identified as rarely consumed raw: asparagus, black beans, great Northern beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, garden beets (roots and tops), sugar beets, cashew, sour cherries, chickpeas, cocoa beans, coffee beans, collards, sweet corn, cranberries, dates, dill (seeds and weed), eggplants, figs, horseradish, hazelnuts, lentils, okra, peanuts, pecans, peppermint, potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and water chestnuts
      • Food grains, including barley, dent or flint corn, sorghum, oats, rice, rye, wheat, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, and oilseeds (e.g. cotton seed, flax seed, rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower seed)
      • Produce that is used for personal or on-farm consumption
• Exemptions
  • Farms growing exempt produce
  • Farms that have an average annual value of produce sold during the previous three-year period of $30,509 or less.
• Primary Production Farm
  • An operation under one management in one general, but not necessarily contiguous, location devoted to the growing of crops, the harvesting of crops, the raising of animals (including seafood), or any combination of these activities. This kind of farm can pack or hold raw agriculture commodities such as fresh produce and may conduct certain manufacturing or processing activities, such as dehydrating grapes to produce raisins and packaging and labeling raisins. This includes packing of holding raw agricultural commodities (such as fresh produce) that are grown on a farm under a different ownership, as well as companies that solely harvest crops from farms. **Primary Production Farms conducting activities on produce covered by the PSR will be required to comply with that rule.
• Secondary Activities Farm
  • An operation not located on the Primary Production Farm that is devoted to harvesting, packing, and/or holding raw agricultural commodities. It must be majority owned by the Primary Production Farm that supplies the majority of the raw agricultural commodities harvested, packed or held by the Secondary Activities Farm. An example of a Secondary Activities Farm could be an operation in which nuts are hulled and dehydrated by an operation not located at the orchard before going to a processing plant. If the farmer that owns the orchards and supplies the majority of the nuts is a majority owner of the hulling/dehydrating facility, that operation is a Secondary Activities Farm.

Fill out the Produce Safety Questionnaire to help KDA provide you with the resources you need to understand how the PSR will affect you.

Training Dates
Learn what is expected of your farm through Produce Safety Training Workshops.

Contact Us
If you have questions, please contact us by email at kda.producesafety@ks.gov or by phone at 785-564-6767.

This publication was made possible by FDA Grant #5U18FD005895-03. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the FDA.