The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is collecting data from growers within the State of Mississippi to help prevent a hazardous food outbreak. Qualified exempt farms will not be subject to inspection by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture; however, a completed exemption application must be completed annually to maintain exemption status.

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and The American Food and Drug Administration requires that all growers of fresh produce that is classified as “readily eaten raw” to complete and have on file with the department a completed Exemption application. A confirmation notice will be forwarded once the application has been approved.

For additional questions, please contact Davis Edwards at (601) 359-1104 or email at psr@mdac.ms.gov.

Please complete the following Produce Safety Rule Exemption Application to apply for possible exemption:

Does your farm qualify for Basic Exemption Status?

Only one of the following requirements must be met.

1. Only grow produce that is rarely consumed raw, specifically the produce on the following exhaustive list: asparagus, black beans, great Northern beans, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, beets, garden (roots and tops) beets, sugar beets, cashews, sour cherries, chickpeas, cocoa beans, coffee beans, collards, sweet corn, cranberries, dates, dill (seeds and weed), eggplants, figs, ginger, hazelnuts, horseradish, lentils, okra, peanuts, pecans, peppermint, potatoes, pumpkins, mature southern field peas (such as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, crowder peas, purple hull peas, sea island peas, silver peas, and speckled peas), winter squash, sweet potatoes, and water chestnuts.
2. Produce grown is used only for personal consumption or produced for consumption on the farm or another farm under the same management.
3. C. Produce grown receives commercial processing that adequately reduces the presence of microorganisms of public health significance.
4. During the previous 3-year period your average of all produce sales was less than $25,000 (on a rolling basis) adjusted for inflation using 2011 as the baseline year for calculating the adjustment.

Basic Exemption Renewal Form (PDF)

Does your farm qualify for Qualified Exemption Status?

Both of the following requirements must be met.

• During the previous 3-year period, annual food sales are less than $500,000 adjusted for inflation, and the dollar amount of sales sold to qualified end-users exceeded the amount sold to all other buyers.

AND

• Sales of more than 50% of your annual food sales to qualified end-users (consumer of the food and/or a restaurant or retail food establishment) located in Mississippi or within the same Indian Reservation or within 275 miles of your farm.

Qualified Exemption Renewal Form (PDF)