Resources for Food Producers in Areas Flooded from Tropical Storm Claudette
Constituent Update
June 21, 2021
Among those in Tropical Storm Claudette’s path in the Southeastern U.S. are farmers and their fields of crops grown for human consumption. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has several resources to help growers who may be affected by the impacts to their crops from severe weather conditions.
The FDA’s Guidance for Industry: Evaluating the Safety of Flood-affected Food Crops for Human Consumption provides the information that producers can use as they assess potential damage to their food crops. This guidance is an important resource for the growers who produce and market these crops, as they are responsible for assuring the safety of flood-affected food crops for human consumption.
The FDA reminds harvesters that generally, if the edible portion of a crop is exposed to contaminated flood waters, it is considered “adulterated” under the Federal, Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and should not enter the human food supply. This applies to all food crops including underground crops (e.g., peanuts, potatoes). For crops that were in or near flooded areas but where flood waters did NOT contact the edible portions of the crops, the growers should evaluate the safety of the crops for human consumption on a case-by-case basis for possible food safety concerns.
Sometimes, crops that have been harvested and then subsequently deemed unsuitable for human use can be salvaged for animal food.
For contamination events occurring in South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, or West Virginia:
- Ingrid Zambrana, 404-253-1284
- Wilbur Huggins, 404-253-2235
- Lieutenant Commander Valeria Moore, 240-517-2029
For contamination events occurring in Louisiana, Alabama, or Mississippi:
- Steven Barber, 513-679-2700 x 2116
For contamination events occurring in Florida:
- Ramon Hernandez, 787-729-8588
We encourage growers to work with state regulators and local FDA offices to assess their unique situations and to take into consideration all possible types and routes of contamination from flood waters in determining whether a particular crop is adulterated.
For more information: