Posts By: Gustavo Reyes
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Registration Open: California Longitudinal Study (CALS) Industry Briefing – March 4
Registration is now open for the upcoming California Longitudinal Study (CALS) Industry Briefing, hosted by the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA). The California Longitudinal Study (CALS) is a multi-year, systems-based research effort focused on understanding how pathogens behave in real agricultural environments like the Salinas Valley. By tracking water, soil,…
New Practical Food Safety Resources – Training Programs and Soil Amendments Dos and Don’ts.
Western Growers Science has released two new, quick-reference resources designed to support everyday food safety, one focused on worker training and the other on soil amendment handling. Both tools translate these topics into clear, actionable practices that teams can apply to your operations FAQ: Building a Comprehensive Worker Training Program (Access Here) This FAQ provides a…
FDA Launches New Interactive Tool for Total Diet Study Results
On January 27, 2026, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a new interactive tool, the Total Diet Study Interface (TDSi), that makes it easier to explore and download results from the agency’s long-running Total Diet Study. Along with the launch of TDSi, FDA also shared the latest round of data from fiscal years 2021 and 2022, expanding the publicly available TDS results to cover…
Why Counts Cannot be Used for Comparisons. Why the Denominator Matters.
When looking at data, and data summaries, we tend to focus on count data. There were three (3) positive tests. There were ten (10) customer complaints. There were two (2) incidents last month. Counts feel concrete, intuitive and easy to compare, so they often become the first, and sometimes the only, numbers we look at. But counts alone rarely tell the full story… A count tells…
Understanding Trends – Seeing the Story in Food Safety Data
Food safety programs collect a lot of information. Samples are taken, records are filled out, results are reviewed, and reports are filed. Yet one of the most common challenges across the industry is not a lack of data, it is knowing what that data is telling us and how to interpret it. This is where trend analysis becomes valuable. Rather than focusing on individual results, trend analysis…
Data 101: Understanding Statistical Significance
It has been a while since the last Data 101 episode; things have been busy! For this new post, I want to break down one of the most common (and commonly misunderstood) concepts in data analysis: statistical significance, p-values, And the basic idea behind hypothesis testing What is Statistical Significance? Statistical significance is a way to…
The Predictive Power of YOUR Data
Data, Data, Data… Over the past decade, almost every conversation I’ve had as it relates to food safety seems to revolve around data. The promise is always the same: if we just collect enough of it, we’ll uncover the answers to all our problems. And honestly, data can solve many challenges. But it’s equally important to recognize what data cannot do, and even more critical, to…
FDA Updates Information Sharing for Foodborne Outbreaks and Investigations
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a significant shift toward greater data transparency in its handling of foodborne illness investigations. The agency will now routinely publish Executive Incident Summary (EIS) Abstracts and Foodborne Outbreak Overview of Data (FOOD) Reports once an investigation is complete. Executive Incident Summary (EIS)…
From the Western Growers Science Library: Transition Resources
This article marks the latest installment of our “From the Western Growers Science Library” series. In this edition, we highlight Transition Resources, collection of Western Growers’ materials and other key industry resources to support leafy greens stakeholders during critical seasonal shifts. These transitions are critical times for growers, shippers, and handlers as production…
Updates on the LGMA Romaine Test & Learn Program Open Comment Period Webinar
Date: September 25, 2025 Time: 11:00 AM PT The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has extended the Romaine Test & Learn (T&L) Program for two additional years beyond its original 2025 conclusion. With this extension, new data reporting requirements and updates to Issue 17 metrics are now proposed. This webinar will provide: An overview of the program extension…
From the Western Growers Science Library: Meet the Pathogens
This article marks the second installment of our “From the Western Growers Science Library” series. In this edition, we focus on Meet the Pathogens, a collection of articles that highlight the most critical foodborne pathogens impacting the fresh produce industry. Developed by Joelle Mosso, AVP of Science Programs at Western Growers, the series provides science-based insights, practical…
From the WG Science Library: Flooding Resources
At Western Growers Science, we are starting a new effort called “From the WG Science Library.” In this series, we will revisit resources we have already published and bring them back to you, making sure you can easily find and use the guidance, tools and research that remain relevant today. This week, Flooding. Flooding continues to be one of the most significant challenges to food…
CDC Narrows Scope of FoodNet
What is FoodNet? FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network) is The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) primary system for tracking foodborne illness in the United States. Established in 1996, it operates as a collaboration between CDC, 10 state health departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FoodNet…
Comment Period is Open for the LGMA Amendment Process: Romaine T&L Program
Submit your feedback between August 18th and September 18th The original timeframe for the CA LGMA Romaine T&L Program is set to conclude in October 2025. The CA LGMA, through its Data Governance Group, has taken a proactive step by extending the program for an additional two years to keep learning and diving deeper into the data. Along with this extension, LGMA is introducing new…
Join the Reclaimed Water Working Group – First Meeting August 28th
Reclaimed water is becoming an important resource for agriculture, and the produce industry has an opportunity to work together to better understand its role in food safety. We are launching a Reclaimed Water Working Group to bring together producers, buyers, academics, and trade associations to scope priorities, identify knowledge gaps and generate information that can support future risk…
Beyond the Buzz: Rethinking AI (Artificial Intelligence)
When most people, including myself, think about Artificial Intelligence (AI), we tend to picture Chatbots like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and other generative AI models that search the internet and generate human-like responses. While this is true, AI holds a far more practical role in day-to-day food safety. AI applications in food safety already extend beyond chat interfaces. They…
Yuma, Get Ready: Western Growers Offering Two Food Safety Workshops in September
Join Western Growers in Yuma on September 23, 2025, for a two-part workshop focused on building stronger food safety programs from the ground up. Whether you're optimizing sampling protocols or managing compliance across teams, these sessions are designed to deliver practical tools and science-backed strategies for real-world impact. See the session details below. Sampling and Testing…
Appendix S for Harvesting Equipment Cleaning and Sanitation Now Available
Western Growers, the California and Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements (LGMA), Factor IV solutions, and Food Safety CTS, collaborated on developing the new LGMA Approved Appendix S: Harvest Equipment Cleaning and Sanitation. The Appendix S supports the implementation of Issue 8 in the LGMA Metrics. Appendix S provides detailed, practical procedures for cleaning and sanitizing harvest…
Where to find Western Growers at IAFP 2025
Planning to attend IAFP 2025 in Cleveland? Western Growers staff will be active throughout the conference. Here’s a quick guide to where you can find us and join the conversation on the future of food safety. Sunday July 27th Data Management and Analytics PDG (3:00 -4:30 pm ET): Gustavo Reyes, incoming Vice-Chair Monday July 28th RT8: Career GPS: Guiding Your…
The NECAFS Food Safety Resource Clearinghouse (FSRC)
As the produce industry continues to advance food safety efforts, access to reliable, science-based, and practical information is more important than ever. The NECAFS Clearinghouse, developed by the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS), is a centralized, online platform designed to address this need. It serves as a comprehensive knowledge hub supporting growers, educators, regulators…