ALEI provides education and resources to Maryland farmers on food safety liability, Maryland Good Agricultural and Handling Practices, and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
ALEI educates the agricultural community about the network of laws and policies which apply to and affect the food system. With the recent finalization of the implementing regulations of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Maryland’s farmers are facing new federal food safety standards which affect produce growers and the processing of farm products. ALEI Legal Specialists Sarah Everhart and Ashley Ellixson have addressed FSMA compliance in webinars, posts on the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, and in educational workshops in conjunction with experts from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland Extension. ALEI plans to continue its efforts to educate Maryland’s farmers on the best way to maintain compliance with the FSMA and Maryland’s Good Agricultural and Handling Practices.
In an effort to eliminate misunderstanding, the ALEI Legal Specialists teach farmers about civil and criminal liability stemming from food-borne illness outbreaks and the associated defense that may be asserted in such cases. ALEI advocates for proactively planning for food safety and food recalls. The goal of preventive food safety planning is to identify and address risks to strengthen individual farming operations and by extension, the entire agricultural food network.
If you are subject to FSMA or are interested in attending a food safety training, please keep an eye on the events section of the ALEI website for information on upcoming trainings.
ALEI specialists and partners have created an ongoing series of blog posts on the partner blog for FSMA updates. The full series is available here.
FDA Issues Final Rule for Compliance Dates for Agricultural Water
View the FDA Compliance Guide for FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
View the FDA Fact Sheet: Equivalent Testing Methodology for Agricultural Water.
View the FDA Fact Sheet on the Use of Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin.
Food Safety Videos:
- Water Testing Requirments and the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (28:21) by Nicole Cook. March 2019.
- Worker Trainings and the FSMA Produce Safety Rule (18:19) by Nicole Cook. February 2018.
- Produce Safety Rule, FSMA, and Recordkeeping (37:53) by Sarah Everhart. January 2018.
- Agritourism Food Safety & Recall Readiness (47:10) by Sarah Everhart. February 2018.
- CSA Food Safety & Recall Readiness (47:46) by Sarah Everhart. February 2018.
- On-Farm Market Food Safety & Recall Readiness. (47:48) Sarah Everhart. February 2018.
- What Produce Growers Need to Know About the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (18:16) by Sarah Everhart. June 2017.
- Preventive Rule: Hazard Analysis Plan (15:03) by Ashley Ellixson. July 2015.
- Produce Rule (15:35) by Sarah Everhart. July 2015.
- How to: Effectively and Efficiently Train Your Workers (47:11) by Dr. Shauna Henley. May 2020
- How to: Make Water Risk Assessments (44:11) by Carol Allen, Alec Loranca, and Chris Walsh, June 2020
- How to: Get A Handle On Water Quality (46:37) Dr. Angela Ferelli, July 2020
- How to: Manage Wildlife (41:53) by Dr. Angela Ferelli, August 2020
- How to: Develop a Sanitation Program (37:00) by Dr. Angela Ferelli, September 2020
- How to: Apply, Handle and Store Biological Soil Amendments (44:46) by Sarah Everhart, October 2020
- How to: Write a Farm Food Safety Plan (50:10) by Sarah Everhart, November 2020
Forms
Food Safety & Recall Readiness Presentations:
- Food Safety Outbreak Response Presentation
- FSMA Presentation
- Good Agricultural Practices and Pre-Harvest Contamination Presentation
Operation Specific Food Safety Preventative Measures Checklists:
- CSA Operation Food Safety Preventative Measures Checklist
- On-Farm Market Operation Food Safety Preventative Measures Checklist
- Agritourism Operation Food Safety Preventative Measure Checklist
Produce Safety Rule (PSR) Compliance Fact Sheets:
- HOW TO: Maintain Food Safety During Post-Harvest
- Food Safety and Managing Livestock on Your Farm
- Biological Soil Amendments of Animal Origin (BSAAO) & the Produce Safety Rule
- Annual Post-Harvest Water Use Checklist
- 5 Reasons to Write a Farm Food Safety Plan
- Your Workers and the Produce Safety Rule
- Preventing Produce Contamination: Identifying Animal Intrusion
