Federal money to help safety of Hawaii farm produce

The federal government will help the state prepare small Hawaii farms to comply with upcoming produce safety regulations intended to reduce foodborne illnesses.

Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it will receive $1.9 million over the next three years from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help educate and assist small Hawaii farmers with meeting new federal rules that go into effect in 2019 and 2020.

The money also will be used by the state agency to establish farm inspection protocols related to produce safety regulations designed to establish science-based standards to safely grow, harvest and distribute fruits and vegetables for human consumption.

The produce safety rules are part of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act enacted in 2011, under which produce farms with annual revenue over $500,000 had a January 2018 deadline to comply. Farms with revenue between $250,000 and $500,000 face a compliance deadline of January 2019, and farms with revenue between $25,000 and $250,000 face a January 2020 deadline.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials estimate that foodborne illnesses each year sicken 48 million Americans, causing 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also estimates that the expense of foodborne illness is more than $15.6 billion annually, including medical care and lost wages.