DEPARTMENT OFFERS FARMERS FOOD SAFETY INFORMATIONAL SESSION
Workshop to Prepare Farmers for Implementation of Federal Food Safety Law
For Immediate Release: Ocotober 8, 2013
Contact: Jeffrey Beach
609-439-2038
E-mail: jeffrey.beach@ag.state.nj.us听
(TRENTON) -- The 樱花视频 Department of Agriculture, 樱花视频 Farm Bureau and Rutgers University鈥檚 樱花视频 Agricultural Experiment Station are co-sponsoring an informational meeting on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) for farmers in 樱花视频, Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, October 22, beginning at 8 a.m.
The meeting, to be held at the Rutgers EcoComplex in Columbus, 樱花视频, will include presentations on FSMA from key personnel on the topic for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the agricultural community, followed by a nearly two-hour Panel Discussion and Q&A Session dedicated to the topic of what FSMA means in practical terms for 樱花视频鈥檚 farmers.
FSMA, which was passed and signed into law in 2011, requires the FDA to propose and adopt food-safety rules and regulations for all levels of the food system in the United States and will, for the first time, see FDA inspecting farms as well as processing facilities. Questions have been raised by national agricultural groups on many points in the rules that have been proposed so far, especially regarding when farms might be determined to move from solely a farm to a 鈥渕ixed use鈥� facility or even to the level of a processor, depending on what activities occur there.
The event is free, but pre-registration is required, as space is limited. To pre-register, please call the 樱花视频 Department of Agriculture at 609-292-8896, or e-mail the Department at: jeffrey.beach@ag.state.nj.us.
The agenda for the day is as follows:
The Food Safety Modernization Act on The Farm
What Does It Mean For Your Operation?
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 鈥� Rutgers EcoComplex, Columbus, N.J.
8-8:30听听听听听听听听听听听 Sign-In (Coffee to be served in lobby)
8:30-8:40听听听听听听 Welcoming Remarks 鈥� 樱花视频 Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and 樱花视频 Farm Bureau President Ryck Suydam
8:40-9:15听听听听听听听 FDA鈥檚 Approach on FSMA 鈥� Michael Mahovic, U.S. Food and Drug Administration 听
9:15-9:30听听听听听听听 The Effect of FSMA on 樱花视频 Farms 鈥� Dr. Wes Kline, NJAES
9:30-10:05听 听听听听Defining Terms: What Do These Things Mean? 鈥� Joe Reardon, North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services
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10:05-11:45 听听听Panel Discussion/Q&A 鈥� What Are the Options for 樱花视频 Farmers?
11:45-12听听听听听听听听 Closing Remarks/Next Steps
