Agriculture
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Food Safety Modernization Act
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced proposed changes to four rules proposed in 2013 to implement the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA): Produce Safety, Preventive Controls for Human Food, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs.
These changes are based on the invaluable input received from farmers, including you, and others directly affected by the rules. Thousands of comments were submitted electronically during the comment period.
Local and Regional Food Systems
The USDA is making a $78 million investment in local and regional food systems, such as farmers markets, food hubs, aggregation and processing facilities, distribution services, and other local food business enterprises.
In August, I organized a three-day, district-wide farm tour that included 20 stops at local producers, co-op markets, and food distribution centers. I was happy that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Edward Avalos, MA Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Maeve Vallely Bartlett, and MA Commissioner of Agriculture Greg Watson were able to accompany me on the tour.