Food safety remains major emphasis at New Jersey Department of Agriculture
Food safety remains major emphasis at New Jersey Department of Agriculture
The NJDA administers a variety of programs to promote agriculture and food safety for human and animal food in New Jersey. NJDA Agricultural Products agents are trained to perform inspections and audits within the scope of specific state and federal programs. This ensures that these programs are implemented consistently and meet or exceed USDA, FDA and New Jersey standards. You can find out more by accessing the New Jersey Department of Agriculture/Marketing and Development website listed below.
Jersey Fresh is a promotional quality grading program. This program began in 1984 to inform consumers about the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in New Jersey. The produce is inspected and must meet U.S. No. 1 standards in order for the grower to use the marketing materials, such as the Jersey Fresh logo on signs, twist ties or printed on produce boxes. Jersey Fresh ensures the supply of high-quality produce and promotes regional and national marketability. You can find information on agritourism and seasonal events, featured growers, recipes, and more on the website.
The NJDA conducts USDA Third-Party Audits including GAP, GHP and GAP+ audits for produce farms and facilities. These audits are voluntary, meaning that the growers request them, and they are focused on a particular commodity. Wholesale produce buyers and distributors will usually require that an annual audit has been performed and will ask to see the certificate of passing the audit in order to purchase that produce.
The NJDA also conducts inspections under the FDA FSMA Produce Safety Rule. We maintain an inventory of produce farms in the state which are sorted by types of produce grown and farm size. Unlike USDA audits, the FDA inspection evaluates the entire farm and all commodities grown. Covered farms receive mandatory FDA inspections on a 3-5 year rotation using an FDA Risk-Assessment model. Inspectors may perform follow-up inspections to confirm that corrective actions have been made. Our Produce Safety website provides information on PSR Inspections and USDA Audits.
NJDA Agricultural Product Agents also perform USDA Fruit & Vegetable Inspections for imported and domestic produce, ensuring compliance with USDA Grade Standards. These can be quality/condition checks for domestically grown produce shipments to and from farms, cold storages, packing facilities, warehouses and distributors in New Jersey. The USDA also has mandatory grading for certain imported commodities, such as grapes, oranges, avocados and kiwis.
USDA Country of Origin Labeling requires that certain commodities such as fruits, vegetables and some nuts include labels for the country of origin. Labeling of these commodities provides information to the consumers who are shopping for these food items. These retail reviews are performed at grocery stores throughout the state.
The NJDA is proactively categorizing, inspecting, testing, reporting, and generally making sure that all of these things are prioritized, scheduled, and accomplished. Our agricultural products agents have been extensively trained, and receive on-going training as needed.
Elizabeth Stiles is agricultural products agent 2 for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
