Currently, the first stages of FSMA are being implemented, and the FDA is beginning to inspect facilities according to the new rules. In anticipation, companies in all sectors of the food industry are adjusting their food safety plans to meet the new requirements and pass inspections. Certain segments of the food industry, such as farms growing and harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables, are adjusting to new federal regulatory oversight that they have not experienced before. In particular, the processed fruit and vegetable segments are struggling with consumers treating their products as ready-to-eat, instead of their traditional use as raw agricultural commodities. This, coupled with the fact that the new regulations do not address the cause of past outbreaks, leaves the produce industry in limbo and the consumer unprotected. Continue Reading