Produce Safety Inspections
Only farms covered by (subject to) the Produce Safety Rule will be inspected. Inspections of all covered farms regardless of size have already begun.
Exempt and qualified exempt farms will not be inspected; however, unless a farm has verified that they are exempt or qualified exempt from the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) it is assumed that the farm is covered and therefore subject to inspections. To inform our Produce Safety Program staff of your farm’s PSR status (i.e. covered, qualified exempt, or exempt) please click the button below to fill out the Farm Status Determination Form.
Click on the button below to complete the Farm Status Determination form.
Compliance Dates for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, by Business Size
Compliance Dates for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule
| Agricultural Water Related Dates | Qualified Exemption (QE) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Dates by Business Size |
Compliance Dates for Most Produce |
Compliance Dates for Sprouts |
Year for first Regulatory Inspections |
Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Compliance Dates |
Harvest and Post- Harvest Agricultural Water Compliance Dates |
Compliance Date for QE Labeling Requirement |
Compliance Date for Retention of Records Supporting a QE |
| All other businesses (>$500K/yr.) |
2018 | 2017 | 2019 | April 7, 2025 | 2022 | 2020 | 2016 |
| Small Businesses (>$250K-$500/yr.) |
2019 | 2018 | 2020 | April 6, 2026 | 2023 | ||
| Very Small Businesses (>$25-$250K/yr.) |
2020 | 2019 | 2021 | April 5, 2027 | 2024 | ||
| * The average annual monetary value of produce sold during the previous 3-year period. | |||||||
History of Important FSMA Produce Safety Rule Dates
| Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Passed by Congress |
FSMA Signed into Law |
FSMA Produce Safety Rule Published by FDA |
FSMA Produce Safety Rule Went into Effect |
Proposed Rule to Revise Subpart E: Agricultural Water Published by FDA |
Revisions to Agricultural Water Requirements Published by FDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 21, 2010 | January 4, 2011 | November 27, 2015 | January 26, 2016 | December 6, 2021 | May 6, 2024 |
- To prepare for an inspection, your farm can request an On-Farm Readiness Review. An On-Farm Readiness Review is an educational site visit to help produce growers understand and comply with the Produce Safety Rule. To learn more, click on the “On-Farm Readiness Review” tile below.
- For covered farms, at least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the FDA. Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings satisfy this requirement.
Montana Rules & Code: Produce
Contacts
