# 2026-16420: FDA's New Bible for Bug-Free Bagged Salads Drops

2026-16420, Guide To Minimize Biological Hazards in Ready-to-Eat Fresh-Cut Produce; Guidance for Industry; Availability, is a Federal Register rule from Health and Human Services Department, Food and Drug Administration published 2026-08-12, effective 2026-08-12; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16420
- As of: 2026-08-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16420
- Title: Guide To Minimize Biological Hazards in Ready-to-Eat Fresh-Cut Produce; Guidance for Industry; Availability
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Health and Human Services Department; Food and Drug Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 52011
- Published: 2026-08-12
- Effective: 2026-08-12
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-19

## In one line

FDA's New Bible for Bug-Free Bagged Salads Drops

## Summary

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing the availability of a final guidance for industry entitled "Guide to Minimize Biological Hazards in Ready-to-Eat Fresh-Cut Produce." This guidance supersedes a previous guidance, entitled "Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables," issued in 2008, and is a final guidance to the draft guidance for industry entitled "Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-Cut Produce" issued in 2018. The guidance is intended to help manufacturers or processors of ready-to-eat fresh-cut produce that is not a low-moisture food comply with applicable requirements in our regulations on current good manufacturing practices for hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for human food.

## Effects PRIA read

- Final Guidance Helps Fresh‑Cut Processors: benefit, low. If you manufacture or process ready-to-eat fresh-cut produce that is not a low‑moisture food, the FDA published a final guidance on August 12, 2026 to help you comply with current good manufacturing practices and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls in 21 CFR part 117.
- Scope Clarified by Water Activity Limit: benefit, low. The guidance explicitly applies only to ready-to-eat fresh-cut produce with a water activity above 0.85, so if your product's water activity is above 0.85 this guidance is intended to cover your operations.
- New Examples For Process Controls Included: benefit, low. The final guidance adds another example of an antimicrobial substance that can be used as a process control, gives additional examples of supply‑chain programs to control pathogens, and offers more recommendations on time and temperature controls for fresh‑cut processing.
- No New Paperwork Burden Noted: benefit, low. The guidance contains no new collections of information and refers to previously approved collections in 21 CFR part 117 under OMB control number 0910-0751, so it does not add new paperwork requirements.

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## Sources
- [2026-16420 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/12/2026-16420/guide-to-minimize-biological-hazards-in-ready-to-eat-fresh-cut-produce-guidance-for-industry)
- [2026-16420 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-12/pdf/2026-16420.pdf)

## Related
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- [Next: 2026-16425, Rescission of DOE's Procedures for Traffic Control on the Nevada Test Site](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16425)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16420 (as of 2026-08-19).