Farmers markets could be safe from certain federal food regulations.
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing that farmers who sell their produce at markets or on roadside stands no longer have to register with the agency as a food facility and face stiff oversight.
A 2012 federal law aimed at boosting regulation of food safety requires food facilities to register with the FDA. These facilities must be inspected by the FDA and install minimum safety standards.
Any registered facility that doesn’t meet the agency’s requirements could be banned from distributing produce.
The law exempted restaurants and farms from having to register. However, it was unclear whether farmers who sold food at roadside stands or farmers markets were also exempt.
The proposed rule clarifies that they are exempt, and includes farmers who sell to community-supported agriculture programs that buy food directly from farms.
The agency estimates there are about 71,000 farms that sell directly to consumers through markets, stands or community programs. However, the FDA doesn’t have data on how many of these farms are currently required to register and would no longer have to do so under the proposed rule.
FDA will start accepting comments on the rule on Thursday, and the public has two months to get their word in.
The law, called the Food Safety and Modernization Act, was created in response to several foodborne outbreaks that occurred in recent years.
