Buyers weigh in on food safety issue with specific demands
Buyers weigh in on food safety issue with specific demands
An impressive group of retail and foodservice produce buyers have weighed in on the food-safety issue calling for specific Good Agricultural Practices to be in place for spinach by Dec. 15 and for other crops by Feb. 15, 2007.
Timothy York, president of Markon Cooperative Inc., who is the spokesperson for the buyer group, spoke individually to a number of trade reporters during the recently concluded Produce Marketing Association convention, and then announced the plan in a press conference on Friday, Oct. 27. The day before, Markon and seven other companies sent a joint letter to the Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers Association calling for the three groups to work "collaboratively and expeditiously to protect public health and work toward restoring consumer and buyer confidence in fresh produce."
The buyers -- Amerifresh Inc., Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Sysco Corp., Costco Wholesale, Markon Cooperative, Supervalu Inc. and Wegmans Food Markets -- laid out detailed expectations for a food-safety program, including standardizing food-safety requirements; soliciting input and approval from industry research scientists and academia; developing a process for updating the requirements; and conducting consumer outreach and education.
The buyers set a Dec. 15 deadline to establish food-safety protocols for lettuce and leafy greens, and a Feb. 15, 2007, deadline to initiate the same food-safety program for melons, tomatoes and green onions.
Mr. York said that the establishment of specific criteria is the most important element of the buyer initiative, and he said that the buyers believe this can be fast-tracked and accomplished by Dec. 15.
He told The Produce News Nov. 1 that he had not receivedan official response from the three associations, though he had had discussions with the president of each organization. He noted that the organizations were meeting at the Western Growers Association annual meeting in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and he is expecting a formal response after that meeting.
Each president -- Bryan Silbermann of PMA, Tom Stenzel of United and Tom Nassif of WGA -- spoke with The Produce News and confirmed that some type of formal response would be forthcoming.
"We are meeting on Tuesday and that will be one of the many issues that we will discuss," said Mr. Silbermann. "I expect we will have a joint response from that meeting."
But the PMA executive was quick to add that there should be other, equally important food safety initiatives coming from that meeting.
The three association executives were also in agreement as to how they characterized the buyer initiative.
"It is good that people see the need for food-safety standards," said Mr. Stenzel. "We hear their sense of urgency, and it is a sense of urgency that is well placed. As an association, we feel the strong hand on our back" pushing to get something done.
Mr. Silbermann said, "The letter is one of the leading indicators" that the entire industry wants the associations to work together -- and work together quickly -- to respond to what went wrong that led to the spinach crisis. He said that the industry wants the associations to respond much more quickly than associations typically do, adding that the letter represents a significant group of buyers and what they believe is necessary is an important element in the process.
Mr. Nassif agreed, calling the letter "positive" and stating that it is very important that every element of the industry realize the urgency of solving this problem. He said that WGA and the other organizations already felt the sense of urgency, which is why they are moving ahead with initiatives such as the WGA plan for both a California and federal marketing order.
While each of the association presidents welcomed the input from the buyer community, they also made it clear that it is only one piece of the puzzle but the crisis itself has been the driver behind the associations' efforts to work together in a cohesive and expedited manner.
Mr. Silbermann said that the main value of this crisis is that it has resulted in the industry coming together like no other time "in my 24 years in the industry."
Mr. York said that the buyer group does not have specific plans to meet again, but it will consider the official response of the three associations as well as what steps they are taking before the group determines how it should proceed.
The letter to the associations listed 10 points, the last stating: "Due to the urgency of this matter -- its current and potential impact on public health -- we expect that the major components of this process can and will be accomplished by December 15, 2006. If this is not the case, our options include fast-tracking our own working group to establish a meaningful certification program with objective criteria."
Mr. York said that the move toward a California marketing agreement and marketing order was a very positive step in the right direction, but he did not say that this was necessarily sufficient to appease the buyer group.
Mr. York believes that the process can be fast-tracked, as he said discussions with California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura indicated that there is support to get something done immediately.
While the initial letter was signed by executives from the eight aforementioned firms, Mr. York said that Denny's Corp., Meyer Supermarkets and Schnucks have endorsed the buyer initiative since the letter was sent.
Timothy York, president of Markon Cooperative Inc., who is the spokesperson for the buyer group, spoke individually to a number of trade reporters during the recently concluded Produce Marketing Association convention, and then announced the plan in a press conference on Friday, Oct. 27. The day before, Markon and seven other companies sent a joint letter to the Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers Association calling for the three groups to work "collaboratively and expeditiously to protect public health and work toward restoring consumer and buyer confidence in fresh produce."
The buyers -- Amerifresh Inc., Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Sysco Corp., Costco Wholesale, Markon Cooperative, Supervalu Inc. and Wegmans Food Markets -- laid out detailed expectations for a food-safety program, including standardizing food-safety requirements; soliciting input and approval from industry research scientists and academia; developing a process for updating the requirements; and conducting consumer outreach and education.
The buyers set a Dec. 15 deadline to establish food-safety protocols for lettuce and leafy greens, and a Feb. 15, 2007, deadline to initiate the same food-safety program for melons, tomatoes and green onions.
Mr. York said that the establishment of specific criteria is the most important element of the buyer initiative, and he said that the buyers believe this can be fast-tracked and accomplished by Dec. 15.
He told The Produce News Nov. 1 that he had not receivedan official response from the three associations, though he had had discussions with the president of each organization. He noted that the organizations were meeting at the Western Growers Association annual meeting in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 7, and he is expecting a formal response after that meeting.
Each president -- Bryan Silbermann of PMA, Tom Stenzel of United and Tom Nassif of WGA -- spoke with The Produce News and confirmed that some type of formal response would be forthcoming.
"We are meeting on Tuesday and that will be one of the many issues that we will discuss," said Mr. Silbermann. "I expect we will have a joint response from that meeting."
But the PMA executive was quick to add that there should be other, equally important food safety initiatives coming from that meeting.
The three association executives were also in agreement as to how they characterized the buyer initiative.
"It is good that people see the need for food-safety standards," said Mr. Stenzel. "We hear their sense of urgency, and it is a sense of urgency that is well placed. As an association, we feel the strong hand on our back" pushing to get something done.
Mr. Silbermann said, "The letter is one of the leading indicators" that the entire industry wants the associations to work together -- and work together quickly -- to respond to what went wrong that led to the spinach crisis. He said that the industry wants the associations to respond much more quickly than associations typically do, adding that the letter represents a significant group of buyers and what they believe is necessary is an important element in the process.
Mr. Nassif agreed, calling the letter "positive" and stating that it is very important that every element of the industry realize the urgency of solving this problem. He said that WGA and the other organizations already felt the sense of urgency, which is why they are moving ahead with initiatives such as the WGA plan for both a California and federal marketing order.
While each of the association presidents welcomed the input from the buyer community, they also made it clear that it is only one piece of the puzzle but the crisis itself has been the driver behind the associations' efforts to work together in a cohesive and expedited manner.
Mr. Silbermann said that the main value of this crisis is that it has resulted in the industry coming together like no other time "in my 24 years in the industry."
Mr. York said that the buyer group does not have specific plans to meet again, but it will consider the official response of the three associations as well as what steps they are taking before the group determines how it should proceed.
The letter to the associations listed 10 points, the last stating: "Due to the urgency of this matter -- its current and potential impact on public health -- we expect that the major components of this process can and will be accomplished by December 15, 2006. If this is not the case, our options include fast-tracking our own working group to establish a meaningful certification program with objective criteria."
Mr. York said that the move toward a California marketing agreement and marketing order was a very positive step in the right direction, but he did not say that this was necessarily sufficient to appease the buyer group.
Mr. York believes that the process can be fast-tracked, as he said discussions with California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura indicated that there is support to get something done immediately.
While the initial letter was signed by executives from the eight aforementioned firms, Mr. York said that Denny's Corp., Meyer Supermarkets and Schnucks have endorsed the buyer initiative since the letter was sent.
