Industry groups release lettuce safety guidance document
Industry groups release lettuce safety guidance document
WASHINGTON -- In a joint effort to help the fresh produce industry ensure the highest levels of food safety, the International Fresh-cut Produce Association, Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association and Western Growers Association released a document called Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Lettuce & Leafy Greens Supply Chain.
Developed by a group of leading produce food-safety experts and representatives of operations within the industry, the document provides food-safety guidance for the entire lettuce and leafy greens supply chain, including production and harvest, post-harvest, fresh-cut and value-added, distribution and end-user handling operations. The document identifies specific food-safety guidance to lettuce growers, shippers, packers, processors, transportation providers, retailers and foodservice operators.
"United, PMA, IFPA, WGA and our industry partners have made food safety our top priority," Dr. Jim Gorny, vice president of quality assurance and technology for United and editor-in-chief of the guidance document, said in an April 25 statement. "We are committed to continual improvement of produce safe-handling practices and suggest that all companies involved in the lettuce and leafy greens supply chain consider the recommendations contained within these guidelines."
IFPA, PMA, United, WGA and industry partners also support educational outreach efforts to assure awareness and use of available lettuce and leafy greens food-safety information. In addition, these produce trade organizations will work together to review and implement these and other important produce industry food-safety guidelines.
"Our organizations are committed to the common goal of assuring consumer confidence in the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables," said Kathy Means, PMA's vice president of government relations. "Everyone in the supply chain is responsible for food safety. Our industry takes this charge very seriously and is proud of the contribution we make to the health of consumers by providing foods that are not only safe but essential for good health."
"With this unprecedented, collaborative effort among industry members, academic experts and government, the fresh produce industry has made important strides in food safety," said David Gombas, vice president of technical services for IFPA. "We believe the development of these safe-handling practices represents notable progress toward our goal of zero illnesses, and we will continue to work as a united industry to reach that target."
"This first edition of the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidance is an important part of a comprehensive approach to further enhancing the safety of the food supply," said Hank Giclas, WGA's vice president of science and technology. "Our trade associations are also collaborating to improve communication between government and industry food-safety experts, bring meaningful education and outreach to the industry and support research to improve food safety. The guidelines are a living, breathing document and will be updated periodically to reflect changing industry practice or new scientific knowledge."
The document is available at www.fresh-cuts.org, www.pma.com, www.uffva.org and www.wga.com, the respective web sites of IFPA, PMA, United and WGA.
In a separate announcement, PMA said that research shows that, overall, primary shoppers are confident of the safety of fresh, pre-cut fruits and vegetables. A solid majority said that their precut produce purchases have either increased (38 percent) or stayed the same (46 percent) over last year. Many (29 percent) said that they intend to buy more within the next year.
When asked to rate the safety of bagged salads, 60 percent of respondents gave it a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale, with 5 representing "very safe" and 1 representing "not safe at all." Of those who purchased precut produce, over two-thirds (68 percent) said they wash it, while 30 percent said they do not.
"The entire fresh produce industry takes very seriously its role in providing consumers with safe and nutritious fruits and vegetables," said PMA President Bryan Silbermann. "With consumer demand for fresh, precut fruits and vegetables growing by leaps and bounds, this sector of our industry attracts increased attention from government and the media. This is another reason why it is important that PMA find out directly what consumers think about the produce they buy and feed to their families."
Forty-seven percent of 1,000 primary household shoppers have purchased fresh, precut fruits and vegetables at least 20 times over the past year, and 34 percent have done so at least 40 times over the past year.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the consumer telephone survey of 1,000 primary shoppers in households nationwide. The results are statistically valid within a plus or minus 3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence interval.
Developed by a group of leading produce food-safety experts and representatives of operations within the industry, the document provides food-safety guidance for the entire lettuce and leafy greens supply chain, including production and harvest, post-harvest, fresh-cut and value-added, distribution and end-user handling operations. The document identifies specific food-safety guidance to lettuce growers, shippers, packers, processors, transportation providers, retailers and foodservice operators.
"United, PMA, IFPA, WGA and our industry partners have made food safety our top priority," Dr. Jim Gorny, vice president of quality assurance and technology for United and editor-in-chief of the guidance document, said in an April 25 statement. "We are committed to continual improvement of produce safe-handling practices and suggest that all companies involved in the lettuce and leafy greens supply chain consider the recommendations contained within these guidelines."
IFPA, PMA, United, WGA and industry partners also support educational outreach efforts to assure awareness and use of available lettuce and leafy greens food-safety information. In addition, these produce trade organizations will work together to review and implement these and other important produce industry food-safety guidelines.
"Our organizations are committed to the common goal of assuring consumer confidence in the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables," said Kathy Means, PMA's vice president of government relations. "Everyone in the supply chain is responsible for food safety. Our industry takes this charge very seriously and is proud of the contribution we make to the health of consumers by providing foods that are not only safe but essential for good health."
"With this unprecedented, collaborative effort among industry members, academic experts and government, the fresh produce industry has made important strides in food safety," said David Gombas, vice president of technical services for IFPA. "We believe the development of these safe-handling practices represents notable progress toward our goal of zero illnesses, and we will continue to work as a united industry to reach that target."
"This first edition of the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidance is an important part of a comprehensive approach to further enhancing the safety of the food supply," said Hank Giclas, WGA's vice president of science and technology. "Our trade associations are also collaborating to improve communication between government and industry food-safety experts, bring meaningful education and outreach to the industry and support research to improve food safety. The guidelines are a living, breathing document and will be updated periodically to reflect changing industry practice or new scientific knowledge."
The document is available at www.fresh-cuts.org, www.pma.com, www.uffva.org and www.wga.com, the respective web sites of IFPA, PMA, United and WGA.
In a separate announcement, PMA said that research shows that, overall, primary shoppers are confident of the safety of fresh, pre-cut fruits and vegetables. A solid majority said that their precut produce purchases have either increased (38 percent) or stayed the same (46 percent) over last year. Many (29 percent) said that they intend to buy more within the next year.
When asked to rate the safety of bagged salads, 60 percent of respondents gave it a rating of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale, with 5 representing "very safe" and 1 representing "not safe at all." Of those who purchased precut produce, over two-thirds (68 percent) said they wash it, while 30 percent said they do not.
"The entire fresh produce industry takes very seriously its role in providing consumers with safe and nutritious fruits and vegetables," said PMA President Bryan Silbermann. "With consumer demand for fresh, precut fruits and vegetables growing by leaps and bounds, this sector of our industry attracts increased attention from government and the media. This is another reason why it is important that PMA find out directly what consumers think about the produce they buy and feed to their families."
Forty-seven percent of 1,000 primary household shoppers have purchased fresh, precut fruits and vegetables at least 20 times over the past year, and 34 percent have done so at least 40 times over the past year.
Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the consumer telephone survey of 1,000 primary shoppers in households nationwide. The results are statistically valid within a plus or minus 3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence interval.
