Food safety is a shared responsibility—a message the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) underscored in its recent Constituent Update. As part of FDA’s Human Foods Program 2026 Priority Deliverables, the FDA released two new web resources designed to support a prevention-based approach to food safety and strengthen collaboration across the food system. 

One resource highlights FDA’s role in supporting industry-led food safety best practices through technical assistance, scientific information, and regulatory expertise. The second explains how to strengthen Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to investigate food safety incidents and reduce the likelihood of their recurrence. 

We are encouraged to see FDA recognizing both the shared value of collaboration and the benefit of advancing industry-led best practices. Western Growers has supported the development of these practices since the late 1990s and agrees that when developed by industry, academia, and other stakeholders in an open process and based on science, experience, and lessons learned, best practices provide practical, commodity-specific guidance and can also help translate regulatory requirements.  

FDA has worked with Western Growers by providing technical assistance, scientific insight, and regulatory expertise, and we are glad to see this approach as a broader initiative. The most recent example of collaboration on best practices is the updated national guidance for growers and shippers of whole cantaloupe and other netted melons, along with ongoing outreach and education efforts. This work demonstrates how collaboration can lead to practical tools that support stronger food safety practices. 

To see FDA’s release on best practices for human foods, click here 

To see WG’s story regarding best practices, click here 

To access the national cantaloupe/netted melons document, click here