Groups endorse mandatory safety standards for produce
Groups endorse mandatory safety standards for produce
WASHINGTON -- Facing a crisis in consumer confidence, the United Fresh Produce Association's board of directors voted to endorse federal mandatory food-safety standards that would cover U.S. and imported fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm through the distribution chain to the consumer.
United's top leaders found that there was no sustainable way to go forward without strong federal regulation, said Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh, who presented the board's four guiding principles during the Jan. 23 meeting of the Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee held here.
First, the new standards must be consistent and applicable to all U.S. and imported products, said the board. Second, the standards must be mandatory, with sufficient federal oversight in order to be credible to consumers. Third, the standards cannot depend upon marketing programs or voluntary certification, though these programs are helpful. Fourth, produce safety standards must be commodity-specific and based on the best available science.
The industry has been resistant to federal regulation, so this is "a bit of a change," he said. But this is a chance to work with FDA and Congress, both of which are already gearing up to respond to the latest outbreaks, he said. "It was a unanimous vote."
Donna Garren of the National Restaurant Association said that her group was "very supportive" of United's decision to endorse federal food-safety regulation. In light of the recent outbreaks involving fast-food restaurants, NRA formed a working group that has been developing new food-safety guidelines for fresh produce.
Federal regulation complements the long-term vision of Western Growers Association, which agreed to start at "ground-zero" with a California marketing agreement and then planned to pursue a federal marketing order, said WGA Executive Vice President Matt McInerney, a member of the advisory committee.
All the certification activities undertaken by industry in California have been "very helpful" and could be picked up by FDA, said Mr. Stenzel, but without mandatory standards that apply to all growing areas, the latest effort won't meet consumer expectations.
"At the end of the day, consumers want an independent voice to check it," Mr. Stenzel said.
In a Jan. 23 letter to United Fresh members, the group said the next steps "may not always be comfortable," and "we must be able to stand side-by-side with government to reassure the public that together, we have done everything we know to implement and comply with strong government standards to protect public health." The letter was signed by United Fresh's co-Chairs Maureen Torrey Marshall of Torrey Farms and Mark Miller of Fresh From Texas/Energy Sprouts.
"Our executive committee won't meet until this weekend," said Kathy Means of the Produce Marketing Association, but she said that her organization "sides with bringing consumer confidence back."
Industry needs to be included in the process from the very beginning, and a program that covers growers, restaurants, terminal markets and wholesalers will need to be flexible, she added.
"There will be a need to get a lot of people on the bus," said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, another member of the committee that advises the agriculture secretary.
"We will be reaching out to everyone to help develop a federal framework," said Mr. Stenzel. The group recognizes that a one-size-fits-all food-safety policy won't work with different commodities. He said that the board favored federal legislation that would provide minimal detail and resemble the seafood HACCP rule.
But the devil will be in the details, and some committee members questioned who would be the "boots on the fields" under the federal program, and how the program would work for imported produce. One committee member said the Mexican cantaloupe safety program drafted as a result of salmonella outbreaks in the United States resulted in fewer Mexican cantaloupes on store shelves.
One small grower in attendance at the meeting said that a new HACCP-like program could squeeze small farmers that sell direct to farmers' markets. The cider industry in Ohio shrunk from 100 producers to 10 after the HACCP rule for juice went into effect, he said.
Mr. Stenzel said that he hoped FDA could finish rulemaking on produce safety by the end of the Bush administration.
In the meantime, Mr. McInerney of WGA said that California growers and handlers should not "take their eye off the finish line" and continue endorsing the certification programs that are needed to be in place for the upcoming season.
United's top leaders found that there was no sustainable way to go forward without strong federal regulation, said Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh, who presented the board's four guiding principles during the Jan. 23 meeting of the Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee held here.
First, the new standards must be consistent and applicable to all U.S. and imported products, said the board. Second, the standards must be mandatory, with sufficient federal oversight in order to be credible to consumers. Third, the standards cannot depend upon marketing programs or voluntary certification, though these programs are helpful. Fourth, produce safety standards must be commodity-specific and based on the best available science.
The industry has been resistant to federal regulation, so this is "a bit of a change," he said. But this is a chance to work with FDA and Congress, both of which are already gearing up to respond to the latest outbreaks, he said. "It was a unanimous vote."
Donna Garren of the National Restaurant Association said that her group was "very supportive" of United's decision to endorse federal food-safety regulation. In light of the recent outbreaks involving fast-food restaurants, NRA formed a working group that has been developing new food-safety guidelines for fresh produce.
Federal regulation complements the long-term vision of Western Growers Association, which agreed to start at "ground-zero" with a California marketing agreement and then planned to pursue a federal marketing order, said WGA Executive Vice President Matt McInerney, a member of the advisory committee.
All the certification activities undertaken by industry in California have been "very helpful" and could be picked up by FDA, said Mr. Stenzel, but without mandatory standards that apply to all growing areas, the latest effort won't meet consumer expectations.
"At the end of the day, consumers want an independent voice to check it," Mr. Stenzel said.
In a Jan. 23 letter to United Fresh members, the group said the next steps "may not always be comfortable," and "we must be able to stand side-by-side with government to reassure the public that together, we have done everything we know to implement and comply with strong government standards to protect public health." The letter was signed by United Fresh's co-Chairs Maureen Torrey Marshall of Torrey Farms and Mark Miller of Fresh From Texas/Energy Sprouts.
"Our executive committee won't meet until this weekend," said Kathy Means of the Produce Marketing Association, but she said that her organization "sides with bringing consumer confidence back."
Industry needs to be included in the process from the very beginning, and a program that covers growers, restaurants, terminal markets and wholesalers will need to be flexible, she added.
"There will be a need to get a lot of people on the bus," said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, another member of the committee that advises the agriculture secretary.
"We will be reaching out to everyone to help develop a federal framework," said Mr. Stenzel. The group recognizes that a one-size-fits-all food-safety policy won't work with different commodities. He said that the board favored federal legislation that would provide minimal detail and resemble the seafood HACCP rule.
But the devil will be in the details, and some committee members questioned who would be the "boots on the fields" under the federal program, and how the program would work for imported produce. One committee member said the Mexican cantaloupe safety program drafted as a result of salmonella outbreaks in the United States resulted in fewer Mexican cantaloupes on store shelves.
One small grower in attendance at the meeting said that a new HACCP-like program could squeeze small farmers that sell direct to farmers' markets. The cider industry in Ohio shrunk from 100 producers to 10 after the HACCP rule for juice went into effect, he said.
Mr. Stenzel said that he hoped FDA could finish rulemaking on produce safety by the end of the Bush administration.
In the meantime, Mr. McInerney of WGA said that California growers and handlers should not "take their eye off the finish line" and continue endorsing the certification programs that are needed to be in place for the upcoming season.
