PMA seeks clarification on target audience for fresh-cut guidelines
PMA seeks clarification on target audience for fresh-cut guidelines
WASHINGTON -- The draft guidelines designed to boost food safety in the fresh-cut produce industry should apply only to processors, not to retailers and other segments of the produce handling chain, according to the Produce Marketing Association.
But the International Fresh-cut Produce Association said that the ever-increasing number of retailers involved in processing fresh produce means that some of the recommendations would apply to them.
The Draft Guidance for the Industry: Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables is primarily aimed at processors, said IFPA's David Gombas. But the Food & Drug Administration recognizes that other segments of the industry, including producers and harvesters, have a role to play in assuring the safety of produce, he said, adding, "Some of the recommendations will carry over if retailers are doing processing."
PMA is calling for a clarification in the final document -- due out in early 2007 -- that says purchasers of fresh-cut produce, such as wholesalers, distributors, retailers or foodservice operators, would not be covered by the document. Without a clarification, PMA Vice President of Government Relations Kathy Means said that health inspectors "might mistakenly seek to enforce guidance about storage, transportation, product rotation and record-keeping on companies other than processors."
Ms. Means also asked FDA to make sure that its advice on fresh- cut storage and temperature standards match up with similar advice in the 2005 Model Food Code. The code recommends that fresh-cut products be stored at temperatures up to 41 degrees, but the draft guidelines call for 40 degrees as the limit. These storage temperatures are related to quality, not safety, said PMA.
Dr. Gombas agreed, saying that there is little evidence that temperature control plays a role in food safety for all fresh-cut products. Processed products should be held in cold storage at 41 degrees, and raw commodities should be held at appropriate temperatures to assure quality, IFPA and the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association said in comments filed with the FDA last month.
Another recommendation that IFPA said should be corrected applies to the shelf life of fresh-cut products. Currently, the fresh- cut industry uses shelf-life coding as a tool in assuring product quality. But the new guidelines call for fresh-cut manufacturers to affix safety-based date labeling on each fresh-cut product.
Microbiology experts have concluded that there is no practical way for food companies to apply a consume-by-date label for refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, he said. Again, there's no evidence shelf life is tied to food safety problems, so that language should be dropped from the guidance document, said Dr. Gombas.
But the International Fresh-cut Produce Association said that the ever-increasing number of retailers involved in processing fresh produce means that some of the recommendations would apply to them.
The Draft Guidance for the Industry: Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables is primarily aimed at processors, said IFPA's David Gombas. But the Food & Drug Administration recognizes that other segments of the industry, including producers and harvesters, have a role to play in assuring the safety of produce, he said, adding, "Some of the recommendations will carry over if retailers are doing processing."
PMA is calling for a clarification in the final document -- due out in early 2007 -- that says purchasers of fresh-cut produce, such as wholesalers, distributors, retailers or foodservice operators, would not be covered by the document. Without a clarification, PMA Vice President of Government Relations Kathy Means said that health inspectors "might mistakenly seek to enforce guidance about storage, transportation, product rotation and record-keeping on companies other than processors."
Ms. Means also asked FDA to make sure that its advice on fresh- cut storage and temperature standards match up with similar advice in the 2005 Model Food Code. The code recommends that fresh-cut products be stored at temperatures up to 41 degrees, but the draft guidelines call for 40 degrees as the limit. These storage temperatures are related to quality, not safety, said PMA.
Dr. Gombas agreed, saying that there is little evidence that temperature control plays a role in food safety for all fresh-cut products. Processed products should be held in cold storage at 41 degrees, and raw commodities should be held at appropriate temperatures to assure quality, IFPA and the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association said in comments filed with the FDA last month.
Another recommendation that IFPA said should be corrected applies to the shelf life of fresh-cut products. Currently, the fresh- cut industry uses shelf-life coding as a tool in assuring product quality. But the new guidelines call for fresh-cut manufacturers to affix safety-based date labeling on each fresh-cut product.
Microbiology experts have concluded that there is no practical way for food companies to apply a consume-by-date label for refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, he said. Again, there's no evidence shelf life is tied to food safety problems, so that language should be dropped from the guidance document, said Dr. Gombas.
