The following information was compiled with support from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture to help growers understand whether or not they fall under the requirement for compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Understanding the Requirements for Coverage and Exemptions

Check out the documents linked below to learn whether your farm is exempt or required to follow certain guidelines.

• FDA Fact Sheet – Coverage and Exemptions + Exclusions for the Produce Safety Rule: to determine if your farm is eligible for exemptions under this rule. This fact sheet will provide more detail on if your farm is exempt/excluded from certain guidelines.
• FSMA Produce Safety Rule – Qualified Exemption Worksheet: use this to apply for an official exemption for your farm.
• Produce Safety Rule Commercial Processing Exemption for Taro; for taro growers (or any other produce that undergoes a microbial kill step) please see this fact sheet.

Farmers may also download and submit the Produce Safety Program Survey to assist in determining if their farm is eligible for exemptions or is required to follow guidelines for compliance.

Understanding the Requirements for Compliance

If your farm does fall under the need for compliance under certain guidelines, please review the following resources to ensure that you are following the appropriate rules for your size and type of farm. 

• Required Training for Covered Farms: this FDA fact sheet gives farmers details on the different requirements for training their personnel and supervisors
• Produce Safety Alliance Growers Training: details about the required training for covered farms referenced in the FDA Fact Sheet above

Understanding Inspections and Audits

If your farm requires an inspection / audit to remain under compliance, you can find details about that process in the links below.

• FDA Fact Sheet – What to Expect of a Regulatory Inspection: check out this fact sheet to understand the requirements of a basic regulatory inspection required for compliance
• Final AFDO Produce Safety Rule Inspection and Audits: this fact sheet tells the difference between Required Federal inspections vs voluntary buyer driven audits)

If you would like to find more information or have further questions, please check out www.hifarmsafe.org/.Also check out our Farm to Facility Produce Safety Guide for tips on how to best manage your harvest. Happy harvesting!