Question 1

Who is eligible?

Accepted Answer

This grant is available to farms that are subject to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. To be eligible, farms must:

Grow, harvest, pack or hold “covered produce” as defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR);
Have annual produce sales, averaged over the past three years, of greater than $25,000*; and
Have enrolled in the Rhode Island Produce Safety Program

*A farm with an average annual monetary value of produce sold during the previous 3-year period of less than $25,000, adjusted for inflation using 2011 as the baseline year for calculating the adjustment, is not covered by the Produce Safety Rule. The average 3-year value for 2017–2019 is $28,075. See FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut Offs for additional information.

If the applicant has less than three years of sales, take the average of annual produce sales, adjusted for inflation as stated above, for the years that the farm has been in operation.

Eligible uses of program funds:

Specialized Equipment and Supplies: produce harvest/storage improvement
Health/Hygiene: cleaning/sanitization tools, signage, compost/manure handling improvements
Wash and Pack: washroom supplies, single use packaging

Program funds cannot be used for the following purposes:

Construction and Construction Supplies
Projects that fail to demonstrate how produce safety risks will be prevented or reduced
Reimbursement for completed projects

Question 2

When do applications close?

Accepted Answer

January 15, 2022

Question 3

When do applications open?

Accepted Answer

December 15, 2021

Rhode Island Produce Safety Improvement Grants

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Eligibility

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