California tomato industry cracking down on 'gunnysackers'
California tomato industry cracking down on 'gunnysackers'
Last year the tomato market got so hot that there were widespread reports of processed tomatoes being marketed as fresh tomatoes through non-traditional shippers.
"At one point during the summer, I was down in L.A. on the Sixth and Seventh Street Markets," said Ed Beckman, president of the California Tomato Commission, "and 14 houses were selling processed tomatoes as Romas. It is not just a little problem.
Mr. Beckman said that hundreds of thousands of carton equivalents of tomatoes were sold last year outside the tomato commission regulations. That means they were not subject to statewide standards, and just as important, they did not pay the normal assessment that the commission uses to operate.
The concept of "gunnysacking has both legitimate and illegitimate connotations in the agricultural world. Literally, it refers to the gleaning of a field with the use of a gunnysack rather than a carton. Prior to the advent of an organized processing lettuce industry, for example, it was a common practice for growers to sell the last pass through their field to legitimate gunnysackers. These entrepreneurs would fill up sacks with misshapen heads of lettuce and sell the product to restaurateurs or other processors. The same was done with other crops.
However, illegitimate gunnysackers were also known to raid a field in the dark of night and sell their take on the open market.
In the tomato industry, Mr. Beckman said that the small-time gunnysacker has given way to the big-time illegal operator. "We are talking about somebody who is bringing six or seven refrigerated trailers into a field and loading up. They are then taking those tomatoes down to Los Angeles and selling them on the market. Or taking them to Mexico and selling them for an unbelievably low price.
To combat this activity, the commission is attempting to work with the California Legislature to craft an amendment to the commission that would create a marketing order, complete with specific standards and a regulatory scheme. But as legislation goes, that could be a time-consuming process.
So the commission is also working with the California Department of Food & Agriculture to establish some stop-gap measures that Mr. Beckman calls a "quick fix. Those standards are subject to a public hearing that will be held June 23 in the Salinas Valley. In attempt to curb the selling in the field, the new standard will call for a traceback identification on every carton. It is already against the rules to pack fresh-market tomatoes in a used carton, but now each carton will have to be identified with a grower lot number. In addition, no dirt or debris will be allowed in the carton. Mr. Beckman said that the new standard does not require washing because not every field-packing operation can accommodate that, but it does require that a base level of food sanitation be observed.
"This is a food-safety issue, he said. "All we are doing is following the recommendations that the USDA laid out last year.
He said that legitimate fresh grower-shipper operations have many controls in place, including good field sanitation. "These gunnysack operations have no portable toilets or sinks, he said.
The CTC president further stated that the new regulations will require no additional activities from legitimate grower-shippers. He said that they already identify their cartons and keep good records. The new rules may not stop the gunnysacking, he noted, but they will give CDFA a legitimate way to go after those people.
Mr. Beckman said that the California Fresh Market Tomato Exchange is assessing itself five cents per carton this year for the purpose of inspection and surveillance. He said that the grower co-op represents about 87 percent of the legitimate fresh-market production.
Some growers, however, apparently are not convinced that the new regulations are needed. They have questioned whether the new record-keeping will be burdensome. Some are not interested in having their ability to sell to roadside stands or in farmers markets curtailed.
There are also repackers who wonder how the traceability provision works for their operations, as they typically co-mingle tomatoes from several different suppliers into consumer packs.
Mr. Beckman seemingly acknowledged that the "quick fix new standard might not address every issue. That is why, he said, the industry is going after legislation that can more fully take into consideration all the concerns.
But he reiterated that the goal of the new standard is not to punish fresh-market growers or those growers who are selling their product through legitimate channels. "We are not going to go after every roadside stand, he said. "But when a significant amount of tomatoes is being sold [outside the system], we want to be able to do something about it.
Mr. Beckman said that the new tomato industry standard is being supported by its Mexican counterpart, CAADES, as well as by the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.
Western Growers Association, which represents many California tomato growers, is not taking a position on the standard.
"We polled our tomato members and got comments on both sides of the issue, said Executive Vice President Matt McInerney. "We are aware that this regulation is establishing a new [grower traceback] standard, and we believe the public forum next week is the perfect place to air all sides of the issue.
He indicated that the majority of WGA tomato members seemingly have no complaints with the reasoning behind the standard, but some are questioning if this is the correct remedy.
With or without the new standard, Mr. Beckman said that the tomato industry will be closely monitoring the sale of illegitimate tomatoes this summer.
"As of June 20, there is going to be a hotline number where anonymous tips can be phoned in. And there will be inspectors out there. There are already standards on the books that can be enforced such as the packing of tomatoes in used boxes. That has to be stopped.
"At one point during the summer, I was down in L.A. on the Sixth and Seventh Street Markets," said Ed Beckman, president of the California Tomato Commission, "and 14 houses were selling processed tomatoes as Romas. It is not just a little problem.
Mr. Beckman said that hundreds of thousands of carton equivalents of tomatoes were sold last year outside the tomato commission regulations. That means they were not subject to statewide standards, and just as important, they did not pay the normal assessment that the commission uses to operate.
The concept of "gunnysacking has both legitimate and illegitimate connotations in the agricultural world. Literally, it refers to the gleaning of a field with the use of a gunnysack rather than a carton. Prior to the advent of an organized processing lettuce industry, for example, it was a common practice for growers to sell the last pass through their field to legitimate gunnysackers. These entrepreneurs would fill up sacks with misshapen heads of lettuce and sell the product to restaurateurs or other processors. The same was done with other crops.
However, illegitimate gunnysackers were also known to raid a field in the dark of night and sell their take on the open market.
In the tomato industry, Mr. Beckman said that the small-time gunnysacker has given way to the big-time illegal operator. "We are talking about somebody who is bringing six or seven refrigerated trailers into a field and loading up. They are then taking those tomatoes down to Los Angeles and selling them on the market. Or taking them to Mexico and selling them for an unbelievably low price.
To combat this activity, the commission is attempting to work with the California Legislature to craft an amendment to the commission that would create a marketing order, complete with specific standards and a regulatory scheme. But as legislation goes, that could be a time-consuming process.
So the commission is also working with the California Department of Food & Agriculture to establish some stop-gap measures that Mr. Beckman calls a "quick fix. Those standards are subject to a public hearing that will be held June 23 in the Salinas Valley. In attempt to curb the selling in the field, the new standard will call for a traceback identification on every carton. It is already against the rules to pack fresh-market tomatoes in a used carton, but now each carton will have to be identified with a grower lot number. In addition, no dirt or debris will be allowed in the carton. Mr. Beckman said that the new standard does not require washing because not every field-packing operation can accommodate that, but it does require that a base level of food sanitation be observed.
"This is a food-safety issue, he said. "All we are doing is following the recommendations that the USDA laid out last year.
He said that legitimate fresh grower-shipper operations have many controls in place, including good field sanitation. "These gunnysack operations have no portable toilets or sinks, he said.
The CTC president further stated that the new regulations will require no additional activities from legitimate grower-shippers. He said that they already identify their cartons and keep good records. The new rules may not stop the gunnysacking, he noted, but they will give CDFA a legitimate way to go after those people.
Mr. Beckman said that the California Fresh Market Tomato Exchange is assessing itself five cents per carton this year for the purpose of inspection and surveillance. He said that the grower co-op represents about 87 percent of the legitimate fresh-market production.
Some growers, however, apparently are not convinced that the new regulations are needed. They have questioned whether the new record-keeping will be burdensome. Some are not interested in having their ability to sell to roadside stands or in farmers markets curtailed.
There are also repackers who wonder how the traceability provision works for their operations, as they typically co-mingle tomatoes from several different suppliers into consumer packs.
Mr. Beckman seemingly acknowledged that the "quick fix new standard might not address every issue. That is why, he said, the industry is going after legislation that can more fully take into consideration all the concerns.
But he reiterated that the goal of the new standard is not to punish fresh-market growers or those growers who are selling their product through legitimate channels. "We are not going to go after every roadside stand, he said. "But when a significant amount of tomatoes is being sold [outside the system], we want to be able to do something about it.
Mr. Beckman said that the new tomato industry standard is being supported by its Mexican counterpart, CAADES, as well as by the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association.
Western Growers Association, which represents many California tomato growers, is not taking a position on the standard.
"We polled our tomato members and got comments on both sides of the issue, said Executive Vice President Matt McInerney. "We are aware that this regulation is establishing a new [grower traceback] standard, and we believe the public forum next week is the perfect place to air all sides of the issue.
He indicated that the majority of WGA tomato members seemingly have no complaints with the reasoning behind the standard, but some are questioning if this is the correct remedy.
With or without the new standard, Mr. Beckman said that the tomato industry will be closely monitoring the sale of illegitimate tomatoes this summer.
"As of June 20, there is going to be a hotline number where anonymous tips can be phoned in. And there will be inspectors out there. There are already standards on the books that can be enforced such as the packing of tomatoes in used boxes. That has to be stopped.
