Posts By: Sonia Salas
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Biofuel Production: Is it an Option for Specialty Crop Growers?
In this country, biofuel production has been typically associated with corn, although biofuels can be produced from different feedstocks, including crop residues, manure and others. During a recent webinar hosted on biofuel production, Dr. Stephen Kaffka shared key information related to the current policy, opportunities and challenges of producing biofuel in California. One of the…
Tax Credit for Solar Systems Extended
The current 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is a nice incentive for companies pursuing solar power options. Last year, some working in the solar industry were concerned about the potential expiration of the ITC at the end of 2016, which meant solar systems had to be placed in service before December 31st, 2016, ...
FSMA UPDATE: U.S. Food Safety Laws Overhauled
The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most comprehensive reform of the United States food safety laws in more than 70 years, was signed into law on January 4, 2011. Following a nearly five-year rulemaking process, five of seven major FSMA rules are now effective. These five rules addressing key food safety areas include: ...
FSMA Mandates New Training Procedures
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is bringing changes to the food industry. Several months ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced two key food safety rules impacting the produce industry. The new FDA’s Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption—the Produce Safety Rule (PS rule)—went into ...
Honey Bees: Are They in Decline?
Pollinators—birds, bats and insects that carry pollen from one plant to another—contribute substantially to the economy of the United States. Pollinators are essential for maintaining many types of ecosystems and play a key role in food security and the sustainability of our food supply. Honey bees, in particular, enable the production of at least 90 ...
Understanding FSMA Training Requirements
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has required the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue several new food safety regulations, now in effect. Throughout the new regulations are various requirements for training that personnel in fresh produce operations must undergo as part of their implementation. Because there are different requirements across several rules ...
Product Testing: What Has Changed?
The food safety landscape continues to change in the produce sector. Producers normally use microbial testing to measure water quality and potential issues related to a process and environment. Produce testing is mainly conducted to meet customer requirements. It is well known that produce testing cannot guarantee produce safety alone. However, there is still confusion ...
Are You “Produce Safety Rule” Ready?
It’s been a long road since the signing of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, and recently you’ve more than likely been hearing much talk about preparation and compliance. FSMA has resulted in several food safety regulations, of which seven are relevant to the produce sector. January 26, 2018, was the compliance deadline ...
Building a Food Defense Plan
In his FDA Voice blog post on March 28, 2018, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb discussed the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (commonly referred to as the Food Defense Rule or IA Rule). This rule applies to both domestic and foreign companies required to register with the Food and Drug ...
Are You Prepared for the Produce Safety Rule Inspections?
By Sonia Salas The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) expanded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) inspectional authority and imposed many new requirements. Do you know what to do if a Produce Safety Rule (PSR) inspector knocks on your door? PSR regulatory inspections are around the corner! They are set to begin in ...
FSMA’s Rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Focuses on Produce
Based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (FDA) Global Agriculture Trade System, it is evident that the importation of fruit and vegetables has dramatically increased in the last 10 years. As a result of a growing global produce industry combined with FDA’s newly implemented rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FVSP) for ...
Food Safety, Security, and Defense in a Pandemic
Just a few months ago, no one knew that SARS-CoV-2 existed. As of April 17, 2020, the virus had spread to 185 countries, infecting more than 2.2 million people worldwide. By the time you read this, those numbers will have increased even more. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has disrupted ...
The Mystery Behind Seasonality – A Leafy Green Issue?
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) outbreaks in 2018 and 2019 linked to leafy greens have raised many questions regarding recurring STEC outbreaks. Until 2018 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented their analysis of eight years-worth of data to industry, it was largely unknown ...
Attention Shifts to Climate Change
On January 27, 2021, President Biden’s executive order sent a loud and clear message regarding his administration’s plans to tackle climate change. Framed in the context of a domestic and international climate crisis, it called for a holistic international leadership of the United States on climate issues. The future political outlook calls the fresh produce ...
Science: Agricultural Water Management Evolution
By Sonia Salas, WG Assistant Vice President of Science The fresh produce industry exists to offer safe and nutritious food. Many investments and controls continue to be implemented with the goal of enhancing fresh produce safety. Contamination can come from different sources on and outside the farm, including agricultural water. Therefore, knowing how to manage ...
Whole Genome Sequencing and Food Safety
In recent food safety conferences, prominent researchers and key regulatory officials have indicated that the use of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in surveillance and investigative programs is increasing. WGS technology is not new, but it is a hot topic that has raised many questions and the interest of several stakeholders in the last several months. ...
Food Waste: Reality Check
The global population of 7.3 billion is growing at an annual rate of 1.1 percent—approximately 75 million people every year. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), feeding a world population of 9.7 billion people in 2050 will require increasing overall food production by about 70 percent. Key challenges to accomplishing this include land ...
Free Produce Safety Webinar on Adjacent Land Use Scheduled for Nov. 4
A free webinar supported by the Specialty Crop Research Initiative 2020 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will be held on Nov. 4, entitled “Adjacent Land Use: Done Talking About It? Ready To Do Something?” Dr. Trevor Suslow, Extension Research Specialist Emeritus at the University of California, Davis Department of Plant Sciences, ...
Food Safety Alert- Salmonella outbreak linked to whole Red, Yellow and White Onions
On October 20, 2021, the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) posted a Food Safety Alert for a Salmonella outbreak linked to onions. The CDC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) epidemiologic and traceback data shows that illnesses in this outbreak are linked to whole red, white and yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico. ...
U.S. Officials Confirm Food Does Not Transmit COVID-19
While recent reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) imply a possibility of COVID-19 transmission from food or food packing, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, peer global regulatory bodies and leading food safety experts agree that there is no evidence to support transmission ...