Posts By: De Ann Davis
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“PFAS Pesticides” and Fresh Produce: What Does the Data Really Say?
Communicating science while navigating misconceptions and mistrust is no easy task. Sometimes a message conveyed about a scientific study is easy to trust and believe, perhaps because of the messenger, or an appeal to common sense and our values. A recent article by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) titled “Forever Chemicals contaminate nearly 40% of…
FDA Needs to Improve Its Response to Outbreaks Involving Foreign Fresh Produce
By De Ann Davis, SVP, Science and Gustavo Reyes, Sr Manager, Data Analytics and Food Safety Cantaloupes have been linked to multiple foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada over the last 30 years. There have been numerous U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Center for Produce Safety (CPS) research projects, rising investment in industry training programs, changes in harvest…
A Call for Stronger FDA Enforcement of Imported Produce at the Border
Increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables requires a compensatory focus on food safety to avoid an overall increase in foodborne illness. Currently, the U.S. imports approximately 50 percent to 60 percent of its fresh fruits and about 40 percent of its fresh vegetables, reflecting a steady, decades-long decline in domestic production. This requires our public health authorities to…
Do Foreign Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Producers Have a Regulatory Advantage Under FSMA?
According to Section 801 (21 USC 381) of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), a product can be refused admission into the U.S. under certain conditions: In sum, if it “appears from examination” that the product is: Produced under insanitary conditions Adulterated or misbranded The importer is not in compliance with Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) The…
FDA Officials Visit Salinas Valley Farms
Officials from the FDA Human Foods Program, including Deputy Commissioner, Kyle Diamantis, visited Salinas Valley farms on September 23rd. Their visits included a carrot harvest hosted by Grimmway’s Russ Hamlin, a romaine harvest with the addition of the view of a new automated equipment at D’Arrigo Brothers ranch, and finally a strawberry harvest presented by Natruripe. Following the…
Growers Carry the Burden While Others Check Boxes: Why it’s Time for True Shared Responsibility in Produce Safety
Western Growers Response to Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety The Reagan Udall Foundation (RUF) Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety, released July 28, 2025, is centered on the tenet that fresh produce safety is a shared responsibility. If responsibility is truly shared, then so must be the accountability—for both progress and failure. Despite the rhetoric of shared…
Produce Safety: All For One, or Every Stakeholder for Themselves?
Western Growers Response to Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety “The produce (food safety) system is fragmented, uncoordinated, under-resourced, and not aligned around a common strategy for making produce safer.” This statement from the Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap for Produce Safety is a concise descriptor of the fundamental challenge to those willing to champion systematic…
FDA’s Food Safety Strategy: Too Much Policing, Too Little Prevention
Western Growers Response to Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety The Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety states “The FDA’s implementation of FSMA’s regulatory framework and the national integrated produce safety that FSMA envisioned are incomplete.” FSMA’s intention was to reimagine food safety oversight as a pro-active, science-driven system rather than a…
If We’re Going to Tell People to Eat More Produce, We Need to Prioritize Food Safety.
Western Growers Response to Reagan Udall Report: Roadmap to Produce Safety Increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is key to improved public health. Yet, public investment in produce safety continues to take a backseat in federal funding and policy. Funding to advance fresh produce safety has never matched the vital role fresh fruits and vegetables play in our nation’s…
Reagan-Udall Foundation Released New Summary Report on Produce Safety Dialogue
On Monday, July 28, 2025, the Reagan-Udall Foundation (RUF), released the Roadmap to Produce Safety: Summary Report of the Produce Safety Dialogue. The FDA commissioned report reflects input from over 170 stakeholders, including members of the produce industry, academia, regulators and consumer representatives. The report recognizes the need for risk-based produce safety and encourages a…
Reagan-Udall Foundation Seeks Input from Food Safety Leaders
The industry, consumer and state regulatory members of the Fresh Produce Coalition (FPC) are pleased that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is supporting the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s (RUF) facilitation of an inclusive stakeholder dialogue to explore new strategies for produce safety. The FPC has been working with FDA leaders on ways to identify and overcome systemic barriers to success in…
FDA Shares Preliminary Findings from Multi-Year Environmental Study in Southwest Growing Region
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and collaborators have shared preliminary key findings from a multi-year environmental study in Yuma County, Arizona—a major producer of leafy greens in the U.S. The findings include data analyses on airborne pathogens, water quality, wildlife contributions and whole genome sequencing results. The purpose of the study was to gain a better…
California Agricultural Neighbors Releases Four Key Food Safety Action Items After Yearlong Discussion
Beginning in January 2021, the agricultural community in the Salinas Valley came together in an effort known as California Agricultural Neighbors (CAN). Led by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Monterey County Farm Bureau (MCFB), CAN provided a roundtable opportunity to foster collaboration and discuss enhanced neighborly food safety practices when ...
FDA Resumes Surveillance Sampling of Frozen Berries
This month the FDA plans to resume an assignment to collect and test frozen berries that it paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency says the strategy is being developed in response to a history of hepatitis A (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) outbreaks linked to the consumption of both fresh and frozen ...
Pollinator Partnership’s Technical Guide for Farmers and Ranchers in California Now Available
The final version of the Pollinator Partnership’s Technical Guide for Farmers and Ranchers in California is now available. This guide was created for farmers and ranchers who want to act to protect and promote pollinators on their land, and can be used as a quick reference on individual topics or read in its entirety for ...
Monkeypox Fact Sheet for Food Industry Now Available
Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Science and its Institute for Food Safety released a fact sheet last week about monkeypox for food industry employers. According to the fact sheet, there are three key takeaways: • The monkeypox strain causing the current outbreak is much less deadly than COVID-19 (the US had > 10,000 ...
CDFA Announces New Pollinator Habitat Program Grants Totaling $14.5 Million
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting applications for grants under its new Pollinator Habitat Program. A total of $14.5 million is being offered; each applicant organization is allowed a maximum of $2 million. The grant is open to Resource Conservation Districts, academic institutions, NGOs and tribal governments, and commodity groups are encourage ...
FDA Publishes Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan Updated Website
.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has updated its Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan website, which details the work the agency has done – as well as the work done by others, including Western Growers – over the past two years to enhance the safety of leafy greens. Western Growers’ highlighted contributions include: In 2020, the ...
CFIA Update on Import Control Measures
The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) provided an update to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California and Arizona Leafy Green Marketing Agreements (LGMA), Western Growers (WG) and the United Fresh Produce Association regarding their plans for Import Control Measures for romaine lettuce in fall 2021. As of today, CFIA plans to implement the ...
Invasive Fig Pest Recently Discovered in Southern California
The black fig fly (BFF), an invasive insect typically found in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions, was recently discovered infesting figs in multiple counties in southern California. The BFF has been detected in the following counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura. The BFF only attacks figs and ...