Produce industry gets high marks in bioterrorism drill
Produce industry gets high marks in bioterrorism drill
No contaminants were found on fruits and vegetables tested by the Food & Drug Administration as part of a six-week bioterrorism drill, according to FDA officials.
?This is very good news," said Kathy Means, vice president of the Produce Marketing Association, who added that this just reinforces that levels of contaminants are either extremely low or non-existent on fruits and vegetables.
Last October, FDA started sampling a handful of food commodities " chosen as high-risk foods " for chemical and microbiological contaminants. The agency also began checking the food companies? security procedures in the event FDA had to rely on their information to trace an outbreak.
State and federal inspectors tested fresh leaf and stem vegetables, milk, spring and mineral water, fruit and vegetable juices, and infant formula. None of the hundreds of samples taken tested positive for contaminants, said an FDA official.
In other good news, FDA told members of the produce industry that 88 percent of fruit and vegetable companies could supply regulators with a list of consignees and suppliers. The other 12 percent either refused to do so or could not gather the information. Companies are under no obligation to do so, and currently FDA has no regulatory authority to inspect company records for security reasons, said FDA.
This field assignment was an exercise in preparedness, and not a pass/fail grade for individual companies. FDA was looking at how state and federal authorities communicated in the event of an emergency as well as an opportunity to educate the industry on security issues.
Even so, Ms. Means said, "We?d like to see that number higher."
All businesses covered under the new bioterrorism recordkeeping rule will need to keep records that identify suppliers and the subsequent recipients of foods starting the end of this year. Smaller businesses will have more leeway to keep this information handy as FDA says it needs authority to check records to respond to a food-related emergency.
?Every company should continue to look at their food security and food safety programs to see if there is room for improvement," said Ms. Means. "This latest news doesn?t mean we can sit back and say, "that?s all done." "
FDA plans to release reports on its findings in the near future and may again test the preparedness system. PMA said it welcomes ongoing tests of the surveillance system to further assure the public of the security of the U.S. food supply.
?This is very good news," said Kathy Means, vice president of the Produce Marketing Association, who added that this just reinforces that levels of contaminants are either extremely low or non-existent on fruits and vegetables.
Last October, FDA started sampling a handful of food commodities " chosen as high-risk foods " for chemical and microbiological contaminants. The agency also began checking the food companies? security procedures in the event FDA had to rely on their information to trace an outbreak.
State and federal inspectors tested fresh leaf and stem vegetables, milk, spring and mineral water, fruit and vegetable juices, and infant formula. None of the hundreds of samples taken tested positive for contaminants, said an FDA official.
In other good news, FDA told members of the produce industry that 88 percent of fruit and vegetable companies could supply regulators with a list of consignees and suppliers. The other 12 percent either refused to do so or could not gather the information. Companies are under no obligation to do so, and currently FDA has no regulatory authority to inspect company records for security reasons, said FDA.
This field assignment was an exercise in preparedness, and not a pass/fail grade for individual companies. FDA was looking at how state and federal authorities communicated in the event of an emergency as well as an opportunity to educate the industry on security issues.
Even so, Ms. Means said, "We?d like to see that number higher."
All businesses covered under the new bioterrorism recordkeeping rule will need to keep records that identify suppliers and the subsequent recipients of foods starting the end of this year. Smaller businesses will have more leeway to keep this information handy as FDA says it needs authority to check records to respond to a food-related emergency.
?Every company should continue to look at their food security and food safety programs to see if there is room for improvement," said Ms. Means. "This latest news doesn?t mean we can sit back and say, "that?s all done." "
FDA plans to release reports on its findings in the near future and may again test the preparedness system. PMA said it welcomes ongoing tests of the surveillance system to further assure the public of the security of the U.S. food supply.
