Groups look to initiate marketing order to address food safety concerns
Groups look to initiate marketing order to address food safety concerns
At a special teleconference meeting, the Western Growers Association board of directors voted to immediately initiate the California marketing agreement and marketing order process to establish mandatory Good Agricultural Practices for the lettuce and leafy greens industries. In addition, at the Oct. 26 meeting, the board voted to initiate a federal marketing order process to develop a comprehensive national spinach and leafy greens GAPs order.
WGA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Nassif explained that the dual effort is designed to address the immediate concern that surfaced in California in August, and also to develop a long-range plan that will put all leafy greens producers in the country on an equal footing.
Speaking specifically of the effort to establish a marketing agreement and marketing order in California, Mr. Nassif said, "We recognize that the problem began in California and we have to address it here."
He said that with cooperation from both the producer and regulatory communities, the California marketing agreement can be in place by January and the California marketing order could be operational several months later. The marketing agreement is a voluntary adherence to specific Good Agricultural Practices between handlers and processors. It does not require a vote, but the agreement will be codified and the California Department of Food & Agriculture will administer compliance. The marketing order would be a self-imposed mandatory program that brings growers into the equation. Under California marketing order law, specific provisions will be proposed, and then the affected parties will have the opportunity to vote the marketing order up or down, with a super majority needed for passage.
If the order receives sufficient support, it becomes a self-imposed, mandatory program regulated by the CDFA. The marketing order provisions will spell out a verification process that will also be administered by CDFA. Mr. Nassif said that the marketing order will specify 100 percent compliance by 100 percent of the producers 100 percent of the time.
Mr. Nassif indicated that the lettuce and leafy greens state and federal marketing orders are only the first step in what must be a unified effort of the produce industry in addressing the food safety issue. He said that the E. coli 0157:H7 crisis tied to spinach proved that all districts of the produce industry are linked in the public's mind and hence what one area does affect all others. Consequently, it is imperative that all producers in all areas conform to a verified set of Good Agricultural Practices.
It is for this reason, Mr. Nassif said, that the WGA board of directors has voted to also move forward with establishing a federal marketing order for lettuce and leafy greens. He said, however, that the establishment of a federal program will be a more time-consuming process and estimated that it could take two to three years.
Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, said that his executive board has endorsed the WGA plan for both a California and a federal marketing order based on the same thinking that what happens to one producer affects all others in the industry. Mr. Silbermann said that the idea of attacking the food safety issue from a regulatory angle "has been talked about by the associations for the last several years." He said that the idea has not surfaced publicly as it took the spinach crisis for the industry to unify behind the concept.
Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, also endorsed WGA's plan for a California marketing agreement and marketing order, but he stopped short of endorsing a federal marketing order. Mr. Stenzel said that the United board would have to discuss that proposal and has not done so yet. He said that while a federal marketing order is a possible solution, it might not be the only one that is up for discussion.
However, Mr. Stenzel agreed that the need for national standards followed by every producer in every state is essential. He said that the contaminated spinach was the result of one day of processing in one facility, yet the Food & Drug Administration shut down all U.S. spinach producers. If the FDA is going to paint the industry with the same brush, he said that it is obvious that the industry has to be working as one unit.
Establishing a marketing order to deal with food safety concerns is rare but not unique. The California pistachio industry passed a federal marketing order in 2004 that had food-safety concerns with aflatoxins as its major component. The industry established mandatory certification and inspection for maximum aflatoxin tolerances. The leafy greens marketing order would also have specific mandatory guidelines that could be tested and certified.
Mr. Nassif said that he suspected that the leafy greens marketing order might serve as a model for other commodities, but Western Growers Association has no concrete plans at this time to launch similar marketing orders.
"The FDA identified [lettuce, spinach and leafy greens] as the ones they have concerns with, so that it where we are focusing our efforts. Each commodity will have to look at this [solution] separately to see if it works for them." Mr. Silbermann also said that he would not be surprised if other commodities followed the same route, but he indicated that no other similar plans are in the works. He did say however that the directors of Western Growers Association produce many different commodities, so if they have identified a food-safety marketing order as a potential solution for leafy greens, it makes sense that they would consider it an option for other crops as well.
During the same specially convened board meeting, the WGA directors instructed the association's staff to bring together all leafy green stakeholders as quickly as possible to develop the mandatory GAPs. WGA announced that representatives of its organization, along with those from United, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and the California Farm Bureau, are working together on this project and have asked interested spinach and leafy greens producers to join the effort. In fact, a producer meeting was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 2, in Salinas, CA, to discuss specific Good Agricultural Practices, and the effort promised to be ongoing until the job is completed.
Western Growers Association has retained a scientific team from Intertox, a firm of scientists with expertise in food safety and other science issues, to assist in developing the new GAPs. It is this enhanced version of the existing leafy greens guidance document that will be incorporated into the marketing agreement and state and federal marketing orders.
WGA President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Nassif explained that the dual effort is designed to address the immediate concern that surfaced in California in August, and also to develop a long-range plan that will put all leafy greens producers in the country on an equal footing.
Speaking specifically of the effort to establish a marketing agreement and marketing order in California, Mr. Nassif said, "We recognize that the problem began in California and we have to address it here."
He said that with cooperation from both the producer and regulatory communities, the California marketing agreement can be in place by January and the California marketing order could be operational several months later. The marketing agreement is a voluntary adherence to specific Good Agricultural Practices between handlers and processors. It does not require a vote, but the agreement will be codified and the California Department of Food & Agriculture will administer compliance. The marketing order would be a self-imposed mandatory program that brings growers into the equation. Under California marketing order law, specific provisions will be proposed, and then the affected parties will have the opportunity to vote the marketing order up or down, with a super majority needed for passage.
If the order receives sufficient support, it becomes a self-imposed, mandatory program regulated by the CDFA. The marketing order provisions will spell out a verification process that will also be administered by CDFA. Mr. Nassif said that the marketing order will specify 100 percent compliance by 100 percent of the producers 100 percent of the time.
Mr. Nassif indicated that the lettuce and leafy greens state and federal marketing orders are only the first step in what must be a unified effort of the produce industry in addressing the food safety issue. He said that the E. coli 0157:H7 crisis tied to spinach proved that all districts of the produce industry are linked in the public's mind and hence what one area does affect all others. Consequently, it is imperative that all producers in all areas conform to a verified set of Good Agricultural Practices.
It is for this reason, Mr. Nassif said, that the WGA board of directors has voted to also move forward with establishing a federal marketing order for lettuce and leafy greens. He said, however, that the establishment of a federal program will be a more time-consuming process and estimated that it could take two to three years.
Bryan Silbermann, president of the Produce Marketing Association, said that his executive board has endorsed the WGA plan for both a California and a federal marketing order based on the same thinking that what happens to one producer affects all others in the industry. Mr. Silbermann said that the idea of attacking the food safety issue from a regulatory angle "has been talked about by the associations for the last several years." He said that the idea has not surfaced publicly as it took the spinach crisis for the industry to unify behind the concept.
Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, also endorsed WGA's plan for a California marketing agreement and marketing order, but he stopped short of endorsing a federal marketing order. Mr. Stenzel said that the United board would have to discuss that proposal and has not done so yet. He said that while a federal marketing order is a possible solution, it might not be the only one that is up for discussion.
However, Mr. Stenzel agreed that the need for national standards followed by every producer in every state is essential. He said that the contaminated spinach was the result of one day of processing in one facility, yet the Food & Drug Administration shut down all U.S. spinach producers. If the FDA is going to paint the industry with the same brush, he said that it is obvious that the industry has to be working as one unit.
Establishing a marketing order to deal with food safety concerns is rare but not unique. The California pistachio industry passed a federal marketing order in 2004 that had food-safety concerns with aflatoxins as its major component. The industry established mandatory certification and inspection for maximum aflatoxin tolerances. The leafy greens marketing order would also have specific mandatory guidelines that could be tested and certified.
Mr. Nassif said that he suspected that the leafy greens marketing order might serve as a model for other commodities, but Western Growers Association has no concrete plans at this time to launch similar marketing orders.
"The FDA identified [lettuce, spinach and leafy greens] as the ones they have concerns with, so that it where we are focusing our efforts. Each commodity will have to look at this [solution] separately to see if it works for them." Mr. Silbermann also said that he would not be surprised if other commodities followed the same route, but he indicated that no other similar plans are in the works. He did say however that the directors of Western Growers Association produce many different commodities, so if they have identified a food-safety marketing order as a potential solution for leafy greens, it makes sense that they would consider it an option for other crops as well.
During the same specially convened board meeting, the WGA directors instructed the association's staff to bring together all leafy green stakeholders as quickly as possible to develop the mandatory GAPs. WGA announced that representatives of its organization, along with those from United, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and the California Farm Bureau, are working together on this project and have asked interested spinach and leafy greens producers to join the effort. In fact, a producer meeting was scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 2, in Salinas, CA, to discuss specific Good Agricultural Practices, and the effort promised to be ongoing until the job is completed.
Western Growers Association has retained a scientific team from Intertox, a firm of scientists with expertise in food safety and other science issues, to assist in developing the new GAPs. It is this enhanced version of the existing leafy greens guidance document that will be incorporated into the marketing agreement and state and federal marketing orders.
