The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are separate federal agencies with different missions. However, they share a robust working relationship when it comes to the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which shifts the focus from responding to food contamination after it occurs to preventing it in the first place. Once these FSMA directives are finalized and enforced, farmers that grow, harvest, pack, and ship fruits and vegetables will be regulated by the FDA. Since these are new federal regulations, many growers may find themselves in unfamiliar territory on their own farms; but the USDA is prepared to help the growing community comply with the new regulations with its many programs and services.
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