Tomato producers seek relief from "audit fatigue"
Tomato producers seek relief from "audit fatigue"
Included in the exorbitant costs that fruit and vegetable growers currently face are the third-party audits associated with food safety. The problem has even been tagged "audit fatigue" by industry professionals. But tomato representatives from Florida and California are now attempting to find relief from the condition.
Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee in Maitland, FL, told The Produce News, "We are currently meeting with the California tomato industry in an effort to rework the third-party audit guidance document. Our goal is to develop a common platform for tomato producers and handlers to avoid duplication and triplication of auditing companies that claim their audits are better than the next."
Mr. Brown said that all produce commodity groups are suffering from some form of one-upmanship because of the current auditing situation. There are now numerous firms in the auditing business, and some produce companies are employing from two to as many as six of them in order to convince customers of their better-than-the-competition safety programs.
"The job of a third-party auditing firm is to do audits, and representatives are out there convincing industry professionals that they are better than their competitors," said Mr. Brown. "Produce companies are putting massive efforts into growing and shipping the safest possible product. But there is a point at which they are not just addressing the food-safety issue -- they are spending enormous amounts of money unnecessarily. Audit assessments and visits tie up management and staff time, not to mention the cost of the audits. It all comes with a very high price."
He continued, "It has turned into a game that we don't need to get caught up in. We need to be uniform and save companies money."
A uniform audit document would potentially include common guidelines with which every company could comply.
Mr. Brown said that the goal is to have a standardized document accepted within the next 18 months to two years -- and then the question over whose document is better will no longer be a competitive issue that only drives the cost of production higher.
"The cost of growing crops is going up so fast that it's hard for growers to keep up," said Mr. Brown. "When producers actually crank the numbers at the end of their seasons, they find themselves gasping at what the combination of fuel increases, food-safety initiatives, labor issues and many other production imperatives have cost them. Proof of this stress is apparent in the recent and planned closings of Florida tomato producers like Taylor & Fulton in Palmetto, Big Red Tomato Packers in Fort Pierce, and Thomas Produce in Boca Raton. If something isn't done soon about the cost of production, there are going to be a lot of other companies following in the footsteps of these firms."
Mr. Brown added that the current auditing situation is a serious issue for the entire produce industry, not just tomato producers. He said that producers of every other fresh produce commodity are suffering from the same audit fatigue. He and others involved in the initiative are working with the North American Tomato Trade Working Group and with the United Fresh Produce Association to help drive the project forward quickly. He said that everyone agrees that the auditing situation is out of control.
"The Florida and California tomato industries and the buying community are to be commended for working toward unified standards that all tomato growers, handlers or customers can use," said David Gombas, senior vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association, headquartered in Washington, DC. "This is a good example of how food-safety protocols can be advanced through total supply chain cooperation."
"All new initiatives are slow moving, but we are aggressive in this effort," said Mr. Brown. "We hope to have the document reworked by late November or early December, and then put our efforts into having it accepted as the official standard."
Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee in Maitland, FL, told The Produce News, "We are currently meeting with the California tomato industry in an effort to rework the third-party audit guidance document. Our goal is to develop a common platform for tomato producers and handlers to avoid duplication and triplication of auditing companies that claim their audits are better than the next."
Mr. Brown said that all produce commodity groups are suffering from some form of one-upmanship because of the current auditing situation. There are now numerous firms in the auditing business, and some produce companies are employing from two to as many as six of them in order to convince customers of their better-than-the-competition safety programs.
"The job of a third-party auditing firm is to do audits, and representatives are out there convincing industry professionals that they are better than their competitors," said Mr. Brown. "Produce companies are putting massive efforts into growing and shipping the safest possible product. But there is a point at which they are not just addressing the food-safety issue -- they are spending enormous amounts of money unnecessarily. Audit assessments and visits tie up management and staff time, not to mention the cost of the audits. It all comes with a very high price."
He continued, "It has turned into a game that we don't need to get caught up in. We need to be uniform and save companies money."
A uniform audit document would potentially include common guidelines with which every company could comply.
Mr. Brown said that the goal is to have a standardized document accepted within the next 18 months to two years -- and then the question over whose document is better will no longer be a competitive issue that only drives the cost of production higher.
"The cost of growing crops is going up so fast that it's hard for growers to keep up," said Mr. Brown. "When producers actually crank the numbers at the end of their seasons, they find themselves gasping at what the combination of fuel increases, food-safety initiatives, labor issues and many other production imperatives have cost them. Proof of this stress is apparent in the recent and planned closings of Florida tomato producers like Taylor & Fulton in Palmetto, Big Red Tomato Packers in Fort Pierce, and Thomas Produce in Boca Raton. If something isn't done soon about the cost of production, there are going to be a lot of other companies following in the footsteps of these firms."
Mr. Brown added that the current auditing situation is a serious issue for the entire produce industry, not just tomato producers. He said that producers of every other fresh produce commodity are suffering from the same audit fatigue. He and others involved in the initiative are working with the North American Tomato Trade Working Group and with the United Fresh Produce Association to help drive the project forward quickly. He said that everyone agrees that the auditing situation is out of control.
"The Florida and California tomato industries and the buying community are to be commended for working toward unified standards that all tomato growers, handlers or customers can use," said David Gombas, senior vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association, headquartered in Washington, DC. "This is a good example of how food-safety protocols can be advanced through total supply chain cooperation."
"All new initiatives are slow moving, but we are aggressive in this effort," said Mr. Brown. "We hope to have the document reworked by late November or early December, and then put our efforts into having it accepted as the official standard."
