Posts By: Gustavo Reyes
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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…
Data 101: Data Visualization
Data visualization sits at the heart of compelling data storytelling. Clear charts and thoughtfully designed figures are often the difference between insights that resonate with our audience or something that is just noise and gets no interests. As my PhD advisor reminded many times, the highest quality visualizations speak for themselves, they should be clear and intuitive that words are not…
PCQI: FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) Version 2.0
Since the rollout of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the term Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) has been part of the food industries’ core language. Under the Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) rule, the PCQI is responsible for developing and overseeing a facility’s food safety plan. This includes identifying hazards, implementing preventive controls and…
Join the 2025 Center for Produce Safety Research Symposium
The 2025 Center for Produce Safety (CPS) Symposium is set to take place next week in La Jolla, Calif., on June 18 and 19. This event will bring together researchers and industry leaders to discuss research findings and advancements in produce safety. The symposium will feature: 11 final research reports (Previous year reports and posters can be accessed in the CPS website) 23…
National Cantaloupe Food Safety Guidelines: Open Comment Period Webinar
Western Growers invites you for a webinar on June 12th at 11:00 AM PT to review the comments submitted during the open comment period for the draft National Guidance Document—focused on growing, harvesting and post-harvest packing shed activities. This will be an opportunity to provide feedback and to hear from those that submitted comments. We look forward to your input as we work together…
Data 101: Understanding Summary Statistics: The Foundation of Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of collecting, cleaning, analyzing and interpreting data. Before we get too technical into the different areas of data analysis, I want to introduce the concept of summary statistics. In data analysis, raw numbers alone often do not provide a clear picture of the underlying patterns or insights. It is important to understand how to summarize the raw numbers to start…
2025 LGMA Amendment Process Update
During the month of February and March, Western Growers facilitated the California LGMA priority setting process. On March 27, 2025, the CA LGMA approved the following two priorities: Water Section Review: Continue the review of water, started last year, with the following objectives. Simplify and clarify requirement language to enhance understanding. Assess the metrics from…
CDC Report Highlights Contributing Factors for Foodborne Illness
On March 13, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a comprehensive report analyzing foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. from 2014 to 2022. The report, released in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), examined 2,677 outbreaks and identified key contributing factors that led to contamination. Below are a few takeaways from the report: …
Losing NACMCF: What it Means for Food Safety
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) is a U.S. federal advisory committee that provides scientific expertise on microbiological food safety issues. Since 1988, the NACMCF has been instrumental in enhancing food safety standards in the U.S. Experts from various sectors, including government, trade associations, industry and academia, have played a crucial…