On Nov. 4 the FDA and EPA announced a “successful EPA registration of the first antimicrobial product using the revised efficacy protocol for pre-harvest agricultural water.”
In a press release from the FDA, the new treatment is being hailed by the agencies as “a landmark achievement in our collective efforts to improve food safety, marks the first ever approval of a treatment for use against foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli, in the agricultural water used to grow produce.”
The release said the registration was made “following ongoing work to develop and refine an efficacy protocol to support registration. Prior to this registration, chemical applications for use in pre-harvest agricultural water were limited to treatment for the management of algae and biofilm formation or produce rot, but this approval sets a critical standard for reducing the presence of human pathogens directly.”
It also said, “Outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of produce have highlighted the importance of having additional tools available for controlling foodborne pathogens in agricultural water.”
And it went on to say, “While farmers are not required to treat their agricultural water, treatment can serve as one option that can be used to help protect the safety of produce. As there were previously no EPA-registered antimicrobial products authorized for use against pathogens of public health concern in pre-harvest agricultural water, the availability of this product, as well as others that may be registered in the future, represent an important step towards providing farmers with additional tools to manage the safe use of their pre-harvest agricultural water.”
The FDA and EPA, the release said, “continue to encourage future registrations using this protocol for registering new treatment products or amending current labels for combating foodborne pathogens in pre-harvest agricultural water. This initiative is crucial given the diversity within the produce industry, so having a variety of options to manage pre-harvest water risks is essential. Additionally, ongoing collaboration remains vital among the EPA, antimicrobial product manufacturers, the produce industry, and academia. These partnerships are fundamental in supporting the registration of additional products and advancing our shared goal of enhancing agricultural water safety to help ensure the supply of safe produce for consumers.”
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