Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will begin inspecting produce farms for compliance with federal food safety regulations this year. The inspections are part of the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule to better protect public health by focusing food safety efforts on prevention of foodborne illnesses. While inspections for large produce farms will begin this year, inspections for smaller produce farms will start in 2020. The FDA defines the size of a produce farm based on the following annual food sales revenue:
Large produce farm: More than $500,000
Small produce farm: $250,000-$500,000
Very small produce farm: $25,000-$250,000
Throughout the implementation, DATCP will continue to provide education and training to help produce growers implement nationally standardized food safety practices.