Since the publication of the seven foundational rules for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the food industry has anticipated guidance to clarify the new requirements. Due to industry concerns about the FSMA requirement for produce safety standards, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a compliance guide and extended the compliance date for the controversial water testing requirements of the rule.
The FDA rule, Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption mandated standard practices to prevent biological, chemical and physical hazards in fresh fruit and vegetables.  Subpart E of the rule established microbiological testing requirements for pre-harvest agricultural water.  In particular, the rule set criteria for the presence of generic E. coli as an indicator of fecal contamination in agricultural water.
The microbial testing requirements for water were emphasized within the rule since fresh produce is often contaminated by pathogens from contaminated agricultural water. The agency previously revised the produce safety rule to provide an updated microbial standard for water, a flexible approach to testing the untreated water, and options for farmers to use agricultural water that does not comply with the quality standard.  
Due to industry concerns about the testing requirements for pre-harvest agricultural water, the FDA proposed an extension of the compliance dates for produce (other than sprouts) by two years.  
Within a Federal Register notice published on September 13, the agency announced plans to retain the staggering of compliance dates based on farm size. Subsequently, the compliance dates will begin two years after the previously published compliance dates for the water quality requirements. Large produce farms are now expected to comply with the water testing requirements by January 2022.

On September 5th, the agency released a compliance guide for small businesses covered by the FSMA produce safety rule.
Due to the risk of microbial hazards in fresh produce, the key requirements of final rule addressed: worker health, hygiene and training; microbial water quality criteria and testing; biological soil amendments and microbial standards for compost; standards for domesticated and wild animals, and standards for equipment, tools and buildings. For sprout producers, the rule included requirements to prevent microbial contamination, including seed treatments, testing of spent irrigation water, and environmental testing.  

While the rule covers the vast majority of raw produce consumed nationwide, the rule exempts certain agricultural commodities rarely consumed raw, produce for personal or on-farm consumption, or produce destined for commercial processing.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration