Food Safety for All

The Senate is expected to debate the Food Safety Harmonization Act of 2008 this month, and there’s little doubt that it will be passed. The question is whether the legislation will negatively affect the produce industry in broad attempts to protect consumers.

A similar version passed the House of Representatives last year, with noticeable differences. The House version includes a $500 inspection fee for every processing plant, while the version omits that, instead including fees for re-inspections and other actions. The Senate subcommittee passed the bill with few amendments, which is a positive step. However, there still may be amendments added when the bill moves to the floor for debate.

Congress members have jumped on the food safety bandwagon, and other bills have been introduced to force change to the system. One such bill was introduced in December by Senator Feinstein (D-Calif.). Her bill would increase the scope and power of FDA by bringing much of the inspection and certification of FDA and USDA under one roof – for meat, poultry and produce.

Produce industry associations had another opportunity to testify before Congress in mid-December as part of a traceability and food safety discussion. Representatives from the Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Produce Association testified about the industry’s cooperative efforts to implement an industry-wide traceability system that would decrease the time and more accurately pinpoint the lots and items involved in a food recall situation.

Legislation is not the only issue the fresh-cut industry is dealing with in this new year. Water is expected to be a hot topic, especially in the water-starved areas of California. Last season, fields went unplanted due to water restrictions, which negatively affected both the companies trying to find raw product and the communities that rely on farms for using local labor and its tax base.

The economy’s cracks grew larger as 2009 progressed, and while some economists say it’s turned the corner, the end is a long way off. Some economic trends have helped fresh-cut processors – such as consumers eating at home more frequently – but others have hindered growth – like shoppers less willing to part with money. As we move into 2010, it will be interesting to see how fresh-cut marketers address the market.

The holidays are now past and the hard work begins. New Years Day is often associated with hope and the promise of change, and the business community needs that optimism going forward this year. The worldwide economy crashed quickly, but rebuilding it takes a long time and a lot of hard work. Fresh Cut wishes its readers the best of luck, and will be there to cover the success stories – and hopefully no failures.



Be sure to check out our other specialty agriculture brands

Organic Grower