Arizona LGMA Standards/Metrics Updated for 2024/2025 Season

On Friday, August 16, 2024, the Arizona LGMA Food Safety Committee voted to approve several changes to the Arizona LGMA Food Safety Standards, also called Metrics.  

One of the major updates is an increased buffer related to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) with greater than 80,000 head.  The distance was previously one mile, but the 1.5 mile distance is now science-based, from U.S. FDA research conducted in the Southwest growing region between 2019 and 2024.  Findings of the study stated that:

• Distance played an important factor in the likelihood of STEC being detected in collected airborne dust, with the percentage of positive samples declining steadily as air sampling moved in an incremental manner away from concentrated animal operations. 

• No viable (living) pathogens were found in airborne dust beyond a distance of 1.5 miles. 

The other area change for the Standards/Metrics was related to agricultural water.  Several small changes were made to ensure that the Arizona LGMA requirements align with the Food Safety Modernization Act's Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water which was released in July of 2024.

Version 17 of the Arizona LGMA Standards (Metrics)

Tracked Changes for Version 16 of the Standards (Metrics)