Buyer group writes to industry associations, calls for food safety pipeline

Eight produce buyers, representing millions of dollars, are encouraging the produce industry to develop new food safety measures for produce.

Amerifresh, Kroger, Safeway, Sysco, Costco, Markon Cooperative, SUPERVALU and Wegman’s Food Markets are demanding that the three industry trade associations work together to develop measurable and enforceable safety standards before the end of the year.

In a letter to the Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers Association, the buyers outlined 10 steps to ensure safe lettuce and leafy greens that they said had to occur by Dec. 15. If the process is not completed by that date, the companies said they would create their own working group to “establish a meaningful certification program with objective criteria.”

The letter also calls for the food safety standards to be applied to additional crops by Feb. 15, 2007.

“It is incumbent on the produce industry, and our representative groups, to develop and implement specific, measurable and verifiable food safety standards – protocols that are industry-wide,” said Tim York, president of Markon. “We need a unified system that we will all follow that will assure the protection of public health and confidence in the produce industry.”

The initiative comes as a response to the recent E. coli outbreak in spinach, although York pointed to the 20 outbreaks in 11 years related to leafy greens.

“We have a window of opportunity where the associations can work to find solutions,” York said. “It has to be voluntary.”

York’s company, Markon, is a foodservice supplier with a “five star” food safety program for all of its branded products. The company has food safety protocols in place that start in the field and incorporate the facilities, transfer and distribution of the products as well as their use in the operators’ kitchens. Suppliers follow GAPs, GMPs and HACCP, as well as audits by a third party that sends the report to Markon. For its non-branded products, Markon requires suppliers to have a third-party audit, but York said he was reviewing that process and would likely increase the requirements for suppliers of non-branded products.

“I liken it to airplanes,” York said. “We are geared to zero incidences.”

In response to the outbreak, industry trade groups are working toward a measurable, verifiable standard for produce, although they may not be there by the December deadline set by the buyers’ group, said Kathy Means, vice president of government relations for PMA.

“We are all paddling the same direction here,” Means said. “This isn’t a we-them situation,” she said.

Means said PMA was under pressure to create safety protocols from within and from legislators, consumers and the produce industry.

“It’s added a sense of urgency, but it’s not the only pressure we’re under,” Means said.

United Fresh has said it’s committed to maintaining zero tolerance for contamination in produce and working with technical advisors, industry groups and legislators to develop a course of action.

“Retail supermarkets and foodservice companies are (critical partners) in produce food safety,” said Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh. “United Fresh is working closely with the Food Marketing Institute, National Restaurant Association, as well as the companies who signed this letter, to provide strong safety systems from field to store and verification that all players have complied with strict standards throughout the supply chain.”

United Fresh, PMA and Western Growers have been working on food safety for the produce industry as a whole for some time, but the recent outbreaks have added a sense of urgency.

“All of us in the produce supply chain share food safety responsibility, including best agricultural practices on the farm, best manufacturing practices in processing plants, proper transportation and storage and even proper refrigeration and handling at store level,” Stenzel said. “Working together, we can continue to minimize what is already extremely low risk associated with our products.”

At PMA’s Fresh Summit in October, Tom Nassif, president of Western Growers, said produce buyers have to use their influence to encourage growers to take food safety precautions. They can tell growers and processors what their requirements are, then audit suppliers to make sure the protocols are being followed.

“GAPs start with the buyers,” Nassif said.

United Fresh also is encouraging its buyer members to think about food safety instead of the bottom line when sourcing produce. The association said it was encouraged that there seems to be a unified call for greater enforcement.

“While current best practices identify the steps growers, shippers, processors and retailers need to take to minimize risk, we all agree that stronger measurement tools and verification are important,” Stenzel said. “Both produce and retail food safety experts have been hard at work on this task before this letter, but we welcome their public support for the cause. We’re also pleased that the letter is a strong indication of the growing recognition in the supply chain, from retail back to the grower, that food safety investments must be recognized in the marketplace. What economic signals do buyers send when a cheaper price outweighs a supplier’s expensive investment in food safety? Rather, today’s new business model is demanding that buyers thoroughly understand the food safety practices of their suppliers and recognize their real costs.”

While there may never be 100 percent prevention from contamination, everyone involved in the industry recognizes the need to follow the most reasonable practices that will limit the spread of human pathogens.

“We know we can’t stop E. coli. There are too many factors, such as wildlife, that can’t be controlled. We can, however, minimize the risk with tougher safety systems that are enforceable,” said Dave Corsi, vice president of produce and floral for Wegman’s Supermarkets. “We owe it to consumers, and we have a responsibility to work together with the industry to assure consumer and buyer confidence in our produce.”