LGMA issues first status report
LGMA issues first status report
California's leafy greens industry has made "huge strides" in the past year, and the California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement's first status report bears that out, according to LGMA Chief Executive Officer Scott Horsfall.
The agreement's first status report comes just seven months since government inspectors began conducting mandatory food-safety audits for LGMA members. The report details all audit findings from July through December 2007 as well as other actions undertaken since this unprecedented food-safety program was established.
"The most important news, of course, is that there were no reported foodborne illnesses associated with California leafy greens in 2007," Mr. Horsfall said.
The agreement was formed last spring in response to the E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak in spinach in September 2006 that sickened more than 200 people and killed at least three.
Operating with oversight from the California Department of Food & Agriculture, the agreement is a mechanism for verifying through mandatory government audits that farmers follow accepted food-safety practices for lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens.
Member companies are audited on a regular and random basis at least four times per year.
CDFA employs certified inspectors to conduct audits on behalf of the agreement. These inspectors operate with oversight from CDFA, but they are certified and trained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the auspices of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program standards. The National Good Agricultural Practices Program was jointly developed by the USDA and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
LGMA inspectors also receive special training regarding LGMA food-safety practices. Members of the agreement have agreed to tax themselves to collectively pay for the expense of these mandatory government audits.
"The LGMA clearly has the right elements in place with a structure that includes a government auditing program, a body to act on infractions and a system of consequences which have financial implications for those found to be out of compliance," said Trevor Suslow, extension specialist with the University of California-Davis, who was part of a scientific panel that reviewed the LGMA status report.
The agreement sought advice and counsel from a panel of scientists with expertise in food safety and food science, such as Dr. Suslow. Also included on the panel is the public member of the agreement's board of directors, whose role is to ensure that consumer interests are represented through the program.
Some of the panel members noted that, in terms of compliance with total audit checkpoints, there was still room for improvement, and they encouraged LGMA members to strive for an even higher level of compliance.
Panel members also suggested that LGMA look for better ways to communicate with buyers and consumers about leafy greens food-safety practices and what they mean. The panel encouraged the agreement to continue to expand membership with a goal of representing 100 percent of the volume of leafy greens produced in the state.
Among the highlights of the status report are 368 audits of leafy greens farms by trained and certified government inspectors that were conducted from July 23 to Dec. 31.
The audits include five specific areas of inspection with several checkpoints that inspectors must review for compliance. There are a total of 184 checkpoints that government inspectors must verify during an audit. The audits determined that the overall compliance with LGMA food-safety practices is quite high, with member companies being in compliance with 99.3 percent of the checkpoints audited.
Those audits resulted in 457 citations for non-conformities. None involved shipping unsafe product. Many of these citations involved incorrect or incomplete record-keeping or minor infractions that could be fixed on site in the presence of government inspectors.
Mr. Horsfall said that two companies applying for certification fell short and won't be eligible to re-apply until April 1. Three other companies were de- certified for a two-week period.
Members of the agreement have significantly enhanced internal food-safety systems involved in the production of leafy greens, and food-safety expenditures by member companies have increased by 201 percent since September 2006.
"As a buyer of leafy greens, I applaud this organization for moving so quickly to shore up confidence for both the produce buying trade and consumers," said Tim York, president of Markon Cooperative and co-leader of the Buyer- Led Initiative on Food Safety.
He added that LGMA's food-safety program can be a model for the entire produce industry.
Joe Pezzini, chairman of the board of directors of the agreement, said that the goal of LGMA members is to protect public health and ensure consumers enjoy a safe and healthy product.
"With the creation of the LGMA, we can say that now more than ever, the California leafy greens industry is producing a safe, delicious and nutritious product that consumers can buy with confidence," Mr. Pezzini said.
The status report is available through LGMA and is posted on its web site at www.caleafygreens.ca.gov.
The agreement's first status report comes just seven months since government inspectors began conducting mandatory food-safety audits for LGMA members. The report details all audit findings from July through December 2007 as well as other actions undertaken since this unprecedented food-safety program was established.
"The most important news, of course, is that there were no reported foodborne illnesses associated with California leafy greens in 2007," Mr. Horsfall said.
The agreement was formed last spring in response to the E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak in spinach in September 2006 that sickened more than 200 people and killed at least three.
Operating with oversight from the California Department of Food & Agriculture, the agreement is a mechanism for verifying through mandatory government audits that farmers follow accepted food-safety practices for lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens.
Member companies are audited on a regular and random basis at least four times per year.
CDFA employs certified inspectors to conduct audits on behalf of the agreement. These inspectors operate with oversight from CDFA, but they are certified and trained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the auspices of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program standards. The National Good Agricultural Practices Program was jointly developed by the USDA and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
LGMA inspectors also receive special training regarding LGMA food-safety practices. Members of the agreement have agreed to tax themselves to collectively pay for the expense of these mandatory government audits.
"The LGMA clearly has the right elements in place with a structure that includes a government auditing program, a body to act on infractions and a system of consequences which have financial implications for those found to be out of compliance," said Trevor Suslow, extension specialist with the University of California-Davis, who was part of a scientific panel that reviewed the LGMA status report.
The agreement sought advice and counsel from a panel of scientists with expertise in food safety and food science, such as Dr. Suslow. Also included on the panel is the public member of the agreement's board of directors, whose role is to ensure that consumer interests are represented through the program.
Some of the panel members noted that, in terms of compliance with total audit checkpoints, there was still room for improvement, and they encouraged LGMA members to strive for an even higher level of compliance.
Panel members also suggested that LGMA look for better ways to communicate with buyers and consumers about leafy greens food-safety practices and what they mean. The panel encouraged the agreement to continue to expand membership with a goal of representing 100 percent of the volume of leafy greens produced in the state.
Among the highlights of the status report are 368 audits of leafy greens farms by trained and certified government inspectors that were conducted from July 23 to Dec. 31.
The audits include five specific areas of inspection with several checkpoints that inspectors must review for compliance. There are a total of 184 checkpoints that government inspectors must verify during an audit. The audits determined that the overall compliance with LGMA food-safety practices is quite high, with member companies being in compliance with 99.3 percent of the checkpoints audited.
Those audits resulted in 457 citations for non-conformities. None involved shipping unsafe product. Many of these citations involved incorrect or incomplete record-keeping or minor infractions that could be fixed on site in the presence of government inspectors.
Mr. Horsfall said that two companies applying for certification fell short and won't be eligible to re-apply until April 1. Three other companies were de- certified for a two-week period.
Members of the agreement have significantly enhanced internal food-safety systems involved in the production of leafy greens, and food-safety expenditures by member companies have increased by 201 percent since September 2006.
"As a buyer of leafy greens, I applaud this organization for moving so quickly to shore up confidence for both the produce buying trade and consumers," said Tim York, president of Markon Cooperative and co-leader of the Buyer- Led Initiative on Food Safety.
He added that LGMA's food-safety program can be a model for the entire produce industry.
Joe Pezzini, chairman of the board of directors of the agreement, said that the goal of LGMA members is to protect public health and ensure consumers enjoy a safe and healthy product.
"With the creation of the LGMA, we can say that now more than ever, the California leafy greens industry is producing a safe, delicious and nutritious product that consumers can buy with confidence," Mr. Pezzini said.
The status report is available through LGMA and is posted on its web site at www.caleafygreens.ca.gov.
