Food Safety In the Produce Supply Chain

Food Safety is Paramount in Produce Industry

By Tim Hammerich, with The Ag Information Network of the West

Food safety is something everyone in the produce industry is concerned about, from growers all the way through the supply chain.

United Fresh Produce Association is a trade group that exists to empower produce industry leaders to join forces to shape sound government policy. California Ag Today’s Patrick Cavanaugh caught up with United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel at the association’s Fresh Start Conference in Tucson.

“We’ve got to do a better job in traceability We’ve got to be able to get to the source of these issues right away. You know, our products are grown outside in nature,” said Stenzel. “There’s no kill step. We don’t cook our salads. So we’re probably never going to get to zero, but we’re going to keep getting better in prevention and then we’ve got to do better tracing it back.”

That traceability aspect can be a challenge in complex supply chains like those of some fresh produce. But Stenzel says their members are committed to finding innovative solutions.

“So the grower/shipper community, they’re trying to figure out how do I prevent food safety issues. And we’re learning a lot. Every time there’s an outbreak, as tragic as it is, we learn from it. And that’s really what the growers are trying to do right now, is to take every possible step of precaution in how they use water; or how they use compost,” said Stenzel. Making sure that we’re not contributing to contamination. Wholesalers, retailers, everybody’s got to work together on those things.”

Stenzel said just about every meeting they had around the Fresh Start Conference addressed some aspect of food safety.

2021-05-12T11:01:45-07:00February 10th, 2020|

The Impact of Regulations For Farmers

Regulations Affect California Farmers in a Big Way

By Tim Hammerich, with The Ag Information Network of The West

Most Californians will tell you they enjoy the local and diverse amounts of produce available in this state. High labor costs and other heavy regulations are encouraging some farmers to shift more focus on crops that are less labor intensive.

“So with a minimum wage going up, with the overtime rules ratcheting down, we’re kind of caught in a vice,” said Cannon Michael, President of Bowles Farming Co and the 6th generation of his family to farm the land near Los Banos.  “And to put one wage across an entire state where you really have different costs of living in different counties, it’s pretty drastic differences, really makes it difficult,” he added.

“And then when you couple that with the fact that the Federal minimum wage is much lower in a lot of other producing areas of the country that compete with us, don’t have even close to what the minimum wage that we have,” said Michael. “And they don’t have the overtime because they have the federal exemption for overtime.”

And then so not only that, but you look outside of the U S and there’s  Mexico and some of our close competitors there, which have no regulatory standards. “They do not have the standards that push up our fuel prices, chemical costs, really every single input that we have is a higher cost here.”

We are always looking for the right mix of crops that we can grow, that deliver the highest value while again, just not stretching our folks too hard, and too far. “Because it is hard as you diversify into a lot of different things, it gets to be challenging,” he said.

Even though the regulatory pressure is there, Michael said he is very committed to making it work, but the regulatory environment is certainly a challenge.

2020-02-04T17:19:41-08:00February 6th, 2020|

Produce Safety: Three Ways to Reassure Consumers

Facts Over Fear

Encouraging Consumers to Consumer more Fruit and Vegetables

By Elizabeth Shaw, MS, RDN, CPT, Nutrition Expert

We’re constantly bombarded with messages about what we shouldn’t be eating on a daily basis. Whether it’s avoiding gluten or nixing dairy from one’s diet, research is often cherry picked via the media to elicit fears in consumers to eat a certain way.

What’s disturbing as a healthcare practitioner is knowing individuals will receive these conflicting messages and not have the full story to make the best decision on how to feed themselves and their family. Case and point: the organic versus conventional produce discussion.

With less than one in 10 Americans eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables a day, it’s no surprise that some of that gap is related to concerns over the safety of produce and pesticide residues. Research conducted in both 2014 and 2016 found that low income consumers were often so confused about the safety of produce based on messaging they heard surrounding pesticides that they would refrain from purchasing any produce at all – organic or conventionally grown.

As a result of these findings, the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) surveyed registered dietitian nutritionists to better understand the barriers faced in encouraging clients to feel confident about incorporating more produce into their diet.

After interpreting the results, the AFF then invited a group of dietitians (known as the RDN Action Committee) from various avenues of dietetics to come together to discuss these challenges faced within the profession. The goal of this committee was to identify a set of action steps to help other professionals feel confident about encouraging their clients to consume more produce regularly.

Given the challenges of reaching dietitians who practice in multiple areas of dietetics across the United States, the committee chose to focus on three ways dietitians could assure consumers about the safety of eating more produce that would apply to all.

Below you’ll find the three ways outlined, with not only a sample social media message to share, but also further research to support the tip and reinforce the safety of produce.

  1. Advocate for consumers to focus on a plant forward lifestyle using “food as medicine”.

No, we aren’t saying push vegetarianism or veganism on consumers. But rather moving the produce to the center of the plate and focusing on encouraging eating more plants from both the fruit and vegetable groups for the long-standing benefits for total health. From fighting off free radicals in the body to aiding recovery from a tough workout, we know very well fruits and vegetables contain important nutrients that promote optimal health.

Research Support:

Rest assured, peer-reviewed science continues to back up this message. Click here to review the two Tufts studies that support the concept of using “food as medicine” with the produce patch front and center!

Social Media Message: #FoodisMedicine Move produce to the center of your plate to improve health and prevent disease. Think #BlendedBurgers, #AvocadoToast, #VeggieChili & More! Checkout these 12 produce picks to incorporate today! (include infographic below) #AddOneMore

  1. Encourage washing of produce before consumption to minimize pesticide residues.

First off, washing produce doesn’t require any expensive sprays or washes. Just as the FDA says, all you need to do is rinse your fruits and vegetables (even those with skins) under cool, running water. Check out the infographic here for more information.

Now, if you are getting questions about the amount of pesticide residue that remains on produce, rest assured you aren’t alone. The AFF heard these queries and responded by creating the Pesticide Residue Calculator, a state of the art tool that helps identify the amount of produce a man, woman, teenager or child could eat in a day without experiencing any adverse effects from pesticide residue.

Research Support:

Not only did the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) 2018 report indicate the safety of produce stating that “95% of all samples tested had no detectable pesticide residues or were actually below levels allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency”, but similar findings were also made public in the USDA Pesticide Data 2018 Report as well as the FDA sampling data report as well. Bottom line: organizations across the board continually find both conventional and organic produce safe for consumption.

Social Media Message: #JustWashIt Research proves you can reduce pesticide levels on produce by just washing it! Plus, both the USDA and FDA agree both organic and conventional produce is SAFE! #AddOneMore

  1. Add one more fruit or vegetable to your daily diet. #AddOneMore

Seriously, this tip is that simple: ADD ONE MORE! Yes, informing consumers on the short and long term benefits of adding one more piece of produce to their diets is crucial to help increasing produce consumption overall and dispelling the fears around their safety. The committee encourages RDNs on social media to partake and show their followers how simple it is to #AddOneMore to their plates. Be it a serving of mushrooms blended into a burger or a side of carrots to go with dip, it’s all about moving the needle toward eating more produce through small changes.

Research Support:

It’s well known that adding more produce to one’s daily diet can help prevent diseases. Using the research on reducing premature death or the literature that supports 20,000 annual cancer cases could be prevented with the addition of one or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, RDNs can show consumers the promise produce has in their lifelong health.

Social Media Message: DYK 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented if we just #AddOneMore fruit or vegetable to our plates! Show us how you #AddOneMore by tagging us in your fruit and veggie centered meals!

Remember, the AFF is a non-profit organization, with the purpose of educating consumers using sound science and encouraging more produce consumption; something many (if not all) healthcare professionals can support as well! To help further explain the research and guide RDNs in educating consumers, the AFF launched a new section of their website “For Dietitians” to provide an easy to navigate space for professionals to access.

 

2020-01-30T20:56:06-08:00February 3rd, 2020|

Naturipe Farms Produces Berries for Global Consumers

Naturipe Farms is Leading Growers of Blueberries in the World

By Tim Hammerich, with the Ag Information Network of the West 

 

Naturipe Farms is a brand most Americans have seen in the supermarket. What many may not realize is that the company is actually owned by growers. California Ag Today’s Patrick Cavanaugh recently spoke to Jill Overdorf, who is Naturipe’s Director of Business Development for Food Service & their Corporate Chef.

“Producing fresh berries since 1917, Naturipe Farms is unique to the produce industry with a partnership between four highly esteemed berry growers: Naturipe Berry Growers, MBG Marketing(Michigan Blueberry Growers), Hortifrut, and Munger Companies,” said Orverdorf.

Overdorff said Naturipe is the leading grower of blueberries in the world, second in strawberries, and also produce raspberries, blackberries, avocados, and cranberries.

“Our strawberry growers had a very challenging year, but they developed some great crops,” noted Overdorff. “We also have a good breeding program. Our blueberry growers, the Mungers, are the largest growers of blueberries in California. They had a phenomenal year, and they are branching out and are enormously innovative. They’re leading our value added program with their proprietary wash process, which enables 21 days on a fresh blueberry shelf life for a snack product,” explained Overdorff.

“Our blackberries and raspberries, we have a number of proprietary varieties, including the Centennial Raspberry and the Madeline Blackberry, both flavorful and non traditional berries because of their load seed count and they’re delicious flavor,” she said.

2020-02-01T08:07:49-08:00January 31st, 2020|

Glyphosate to Be Defended

Bayer Crop Science Will Always Defend Glyphosate Herbicide

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

It is a cornerstone of weed control around the world and even though there are countless pending lawsuits against glyphosate herbicide, company officials vow that they will continue to fight for its continued use, as there has been no evidence that it has caused cancer anywhere in the world.
“The facts are still there, but in three cases that were as found against us, were all in Northern California,” said Steve Gould, a National Account Manager for Bayer Crop Science, speaking at the California Weed Science Society Annual Conference in Monterey “One was the Johnson trial, which was the first trial about the school district employee, the second one was a vineyard owner, and the third one was a consumer. A crop trial is set to start soon in St. Louis.”

Gould said all court case decisions are on appeal. “So, when you see this TV commercial about settlements, count on them continuing as they are funded by lawyers,” said Goud.  “My mother’s 84 years old, and she tells me every time I talked to her about how she’s seen this commercial more and more nowadays than she did a year ago. And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re going to see more and more of it until something more happens down the line with this situation,’” he said. “But nobody’s been paid any money, they’re all on appeal.”

Additionally, there were supposed to be several trials starting in the fall, but those were postponed. And currently, a jury is being selected in Contra Costa County for the next trial. “It’s interesting because there have been about five or six others that have been moved back. So, we were supposed to do some in the fall in St. Louis and they’ve been moved back, and even three of those are still been moved back again,” explained Gould. “These lawsuits are not a class action suit. This is one case at a time, and so far, there has not been any arbitration.”

“I want you to know I asked this question when I went to Scott’s almost two years I asked Monsanto if they are going to defend glyphosate? And the answer was, Yes, they were going to defend glyphosate. Then I came to Bayer and this year, and again, the first week I was in there, I asked, if they were going to defend glyphosate? Has anything changed? And they said, absolutely nothing has changed and that they were going to defend glyphosate,” Gould explained.

If anyone has seen the news/commercials that Monsanto or Bayer are arbitrating and close to settlement? “That’s not us saying that,” noted Gould. And I’ll just leave it at that. Again, that’s not Bayer saying that.

Gould said all the trial activity is not about glyphosate. “If anyone is still thinking that this is just a Bayer issue or just a glyphosate issue…. Wake up,” he said.

“Those who don’t like what we do, and have been fighting us for over 30 years, got a chink in our armor with IARC on the biggest, and safest pesticide, and they’re coming to get us, said Gould speaking from his own perspective.”

“That’s what’s happening folks. Has it affected my life? Yes. Has it affected you? Yes, but it’ll affect even more if we continue to let those who don’t know what we do or understand what we do, take away our tools. And if we continue to sit silently by and watch that, shame on you,” said Gould.

2020-01-24T12:50:39-08:00January 24th, 2020|

Cannon Michael: Sterile Farms?

Farms Are Not Sterile Environments

By Tim Hammerich, with the AgInformation Network of the West

As if growing a crop wasn’t hard enough, farmers are sometimes faced with regulatory interests that appear to be somewhat at odds with each other. I was speaking with Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming Company about their desire to bring biodiversity to their farm. One the the challenges? Food safety audits.

“It is challenging, I would say as a food producer, we are challenged by having a lot of the natural environment around us,” said Michael.  “And I don’t think that people want to think of farms as like a sterile laboratory-type setting. But if you look at how we’re audited in the food safety space, a lot of the regulations would be contrary to a diverse ecology or biology here on the farm.”

Michael and other farmers must comply with food safety audits that seem in contradiction with consumer desires like adding biodiversity and reducing food waste.

“You would think that they would want us to have almost like laboratory conditions. Which, again, I don’t think the consumer really wants that, but there’s that push and pull between the food safety and between the reality of what it is to grow on a farm and have, native species and things running around,” noted Michael. “But we’re being pushed in a lot of ways to have no species on the farm by the way these audits are conducted. But yet we, I think, have consumers that would be horrified if they thought that, you know, a bird couldn’t land in a melon field without those melons being quarantined or thrown away.”

One example of regulations with unintended consequences for our farmers.

2020-01-23T06:48:47-08:00January 23rd, 2020|

Romaine Outbreak Is Declared Over

California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Steps Up Efforts to Improve Safety

 

By April Ward, Leafy Green Marketing Agreement

On January 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared e. Coli outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas, CA region over and the agencies have lifted the consumer advisory. In a statement, the FDA said there is no longer a need for consumers to avoid romaine lettuce from Salinas.

“The industry is enforcing upon themselves even more stringent food safety requirements than were previously in place through the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA).

The statement noted that FDA and CDC have been tracking three outbreaks associated with romaine lettuce. Yesterday’s statement reads as follows: “Federal health officials are declaring two multi-state romaine lettuce outbreaks over. One of the outbreaks sickened 167 people in 27 states. The other outbreak, linked to Fresh Express salad kits, sickened 10 people in five states. There was also a third outbreak in Washington State that sickened 11 people. This outbreak has also been declared over.”

Scott Horsfall, CEO LGMA

Since the consumer advisory was first issued on November 21, 2019 California leafy greens farmers have taken action to prevent future outbreaks.

“The industry is enforcing upon themselves even more stringent food safety requirements than were previously in place through the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a food safety program established in 2007 to address food safety issues concerning leafy greens.

“We need to prevent this from happening again,” said Steve Church of Church Brothers, a leading producer of romaine lettuce and a member of the Board of the California LGMA. “These outbreaks are devastating to our industry as well as to consumers and they absolutely must stop.”

At a recent meeting of the LGMA, leaders from throughout the California leafy greens community agreed it is industry’s responsibility to strengthen their mandatory food safety practices even further.

“We have to take control of our own destiny,” said Dan Sutton, a leafy greens producer who serves as Chairman of the LGMA. “The LGMA exists to establish food safety standards for farming leafy greens. We need a focused industry-wide effort to figure out what’s happening in the environment where we farm. The members of the LGMA are committed to making real changes to improve the safety of our product.”

The LGMA acknowledged all of the work being done by FDA to help determine the exact cause of recent outbreaks. Details of the investigation are outlined in yesterday’s statement but, to date, investigators have been unable to determine the source of the outbreaks.

According to the FDA, “Our investigation is ongoing, and we are doing everything possible to find the source or sources of contamination. The investigation into how this contamination occurred is important, so romaine growers can implement measures that will prevent future contamination and illnesses.”

“The leafy greens community is extremely motivated to get to the bottom of this and we want to be more involved,” said Jan Berk of San Miguel Produce who serves as vice-chairman of the LGMA. “The FDA investigators are not farmers. They don’t know what’s going on in our fields the way we do. We are the ones who need to fix this.”

Work is already underway to do just that.

“The LGMA is currently conducting a systematic overhaul of the food safety practices included in our program,” explained Horsfall. “We’re working with our industry partner Western Growers to conduct an open, transparent review of the required food safety practices under the LGMA. We will be bringing in outside expertise so that we can incorporate new knowledge and research.”

Additionally, a special meeting hosted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is being planned for February 4 in Salinas. Growers are being invited to participate in a discussion about research opportunities available through a broad study that will monitor environmental conditions in California that may be contributing to outbreaks.

“Our goal is to work in conjunction with leafy greens growers and with the U.S. FDA to resolve the problems that continue to impact romaine,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “The LGMA and the entire leafy greens industry has been extremely cooperative in these efforts. We all want to see an end to these outbreaks so that consumers can have confidence in eating leafy greens. We owe this to our consumers and to our growers.”

Horsfall emphasized that actions being taken by the LGMA demonstrate the industry’s commitment to making changes in their food safety practices.

“The benefit of the LGMA system is that when we make changes to our requirements, they are implemented on thousands of farms that produce over 90 percent of leafy greens grown in the U.S.,” he said. “Government auditors will then verify growers are following the new practices through mandatory government audits. No other food safety program in the world has this capability.”

2020-01-17T10:38:21-08:00January 17th, 2020|

USMCA Passes

California Fresh Fruit Association Applauds Passage of USMCA Agreement

The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) applauds the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) out of the Senate today in an 89-10 vote.

The USMCA will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and enhance the movement of food products between the countries.

CFFA believes this new agreement will benefit California farmers by improving market access in Mexico and Canada. USMCA will build upon the existing trading relationship between the three countries and allows for continued economic growth.

CFFA President Ian LeMay stated, “Mexico and Canada have been vital trade partners over the years for our growers and shippers and the passage of USMCA out of the Senate today comes to the delight of the California fresh fruit industry. Our members look forward to continuing to provide the freshest fruit to consumers around the world.”

Ian LeMay

The Association applauds the work of the Administration and our California delegation for their support of USMCA, specifically, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congressmen Kevin McCarthy, Congressman Jim Costa, Congressman Devin Nunes, Congressman TJ Cox, Congressman Josh Harder and Congressman Jimmy Panetta.

2020-01-17T11:39:26-08:00January 17th, 2020|

Spray Safe in Central Valley

Join Forces to Limit Spray Drift in Central Valley

Sponsors include: Western Plant Health Association, California Citrus Mutual, Tulare County Farm Bureau, and Spray Safe 

Bilingual Spray Safe Program Intended to Empower Workers and Improve Communications to Ensure Greater Pesticide Safety for People and Pollinators

By Alexis Silveria, Communication Manager California Citrus Mutual

An estimated 400 Central Valley farmers attended the Tulare-Kings International Agri-Center to participate in Spray Safe, a stewardship program created for and by the agriculture community that promotes effective prevention of accidental pesticide drift from fields, California Citrus Mutual announced today.

Joined by prominent elected officials and high-ranking regulators, participants received training in drift mitigation, pesticide emergencies, and protection for pollinators. It also focused on making sure all involved in pesticide applications are effectively communicating and working in concert, said Spray Safe officials.

“Spray Safe reinforces California’s current pesticide regulations and requirements, which are already some of the toughest in the world,” said Renee Pinel, the President & CEO of the Western Plant Health Association, which was a sponsor of the event.

She said, “more regulations are not necessary, but communications need to improve to make sure farmers, farmworkers and regulators are all effectively communicating to ensure those regulations are being followed.”

“The safe use of pesticides is a top priority for the citrus industry,” said Casey Creamer President & CEO of California Citrus Mutual, another major sponsor. “Educational events such as Spray Safe ensure the safety of our employees and the surrounding communities. We are proud to be one of the many agricultural groups coming together for the protection of our farms, employees, and communities.”

Creamer underscored that Spray Safe is “an example of the agriculture industry acknowledging a problem and implementing a solution proactively.”

“The best thing about the Spray Safe program is that it empowers thousands of workers to speak out if they have any concerns about a pesticide,” said Hernan Hernandez, the Executive Director of the California Farmworker Foundation, a Delano-based organization dedicated to creating a better future for the state’s farmworkers. “Farmworkers need to know what to do in an emergency. It speaks volumes that today’s event was conducted in both Spanish and English.”

The event drew several high-ranking officials and representatives, including

California Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Val Dolcini, Supervisor Kuyler Crocker, as well as County Agricultural Commissioners.

“California has the nation’s strictest pesticide regulations, but it remains DPR’s highest priority to make sure all Californians are aware of the rules and are protected from potential harm,” said Val Dolcini, Director of DPR. “Pesticides touch our air, water, and land. Today and every day, we’ll continue to ensure that these tools are used in a manner that’s both safe and smart.”

The event is one of many such Spray Safe classes conducted over the years.

“Programs like Spray Safe have trained thousands of people,” said Bill Hume, with Simplot Grower Solutions who helps lead the worker safety classes. “We always want to make sure we continue to keep farmers and farmworkers up to date on the latest technology, regulations and best practices.”

2020-01-17T10:36:58-08:00January 16th, 2020|

Hemp Pavilion At World Ag Expo

World Ag Expo Adds Hemp Pavilion, International Ag Focus

By Tim Hammerich, Ag Information Network 

The World Ag Expo in Tulare is just about a month away. Marketing Manager Jennifer Fawkes says the annual gathering is a great place for agriculture to show off its latest technology, and for the general public to better understand where their food comes from.

“Some of it’s new and some of it’s, of course, the stuff that we’re always excited about: steak sandwiches, cool tractors, new trucks, new technology, and just different things to help any operation in any way they can think of,” said Fawkes.

“But it’s also the new things. We have a hemp pavilion that is one of the hot topics in ag, so we decided it’s time to dedicate some space for that now that it’s really legal and legal federally,” she said.  “We want to make sure that people have access to great education and new information. We’re also excited, we have a little bit of a refocus on international starting this year. We’re doing a lot of work with you as commercial service to do some matchmaking. So if there’s folks out there that need some help with any international trade or buying from someone internationally, we’ve got help for you,” said Fawkes.

With 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, there is almost certainly something for everyone. Buy tickets online in advance for a $3 discount using the code WAE20 or just show up and purchase them at the door. The event is rain or shine February 11th – 13th.

2020-01-13T07:56:43-08:00January 13th, 2020|

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

(We do not share your data with anybody, and only use it for its intended purpose)

Thank you for your message. It has been sent.
There was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later.

California Ag News…
At Your Fingertips!

Unable to load Tweets

Copyright 2021 California Ag Today | CaliforniaAgToday.com owned and operated by Californians.

Website Designed by Desert Tech Pros

Copyright 2021 California Ag Today | CaliforniaAgToday.com owned and operated by Californians.

Website Designed by Desert Tech Pros

Go to Top