Posts By: Sonia Salas
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What a Recent Mango Outbreak Reveals About Traceability and Import Oversight
Did you see the recent Food Safety News article on the mango-linked Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak? It raises several important points, but what stands out most to me is the need to strengthen both traceability and the effectiveness of foreign supplier verification programs. When Traceability Falls Short The article states that “Problems with traceback caused the outbreak investigation to…
Registration is Open for FDA Town Halls on Food Traceability Rule Implementation
Western Growers joined the Partnership for Traceability (PFT) to help drive greater coordination across the food industry as stakeholders continue to implement the FDA’s FSMA 204 Food Traceability Rule. Given the rule’s impact across diverse stakeholders, broad representation from all segments of the supply chain is essential. If you haven’t heard, PFT and FDA will host two virtual town…
Your Voice Matters: Submit Feedback on FDA Food Traceability Guidance Before May 21
The Food Traceability Final Rule under FSMA Section 204(d) compliance date was originally scheduled for January 2026, but it was extended to July 2028. Under the FDA’s 2026 federal funding legislation, no appropriated funds may be used to enforce the rule until July 2028, provided the FDA meets specific conditions. On February 19, 2026, FDA issued updated Questions & Answers guidance…
Multi-Year FDA Study Provides New Insights to Advance Produce Safety in California’s Growing Region
New findings from a five-year federal study are offering fresh insights into how foodborne pathogens move through California’s Central Coast growing region and what it means for produce safety. On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shared initial findings from its California Longitudinal Study (CALS), launched in 2020, to better understand the environmental factors…
Protecting FSMA Education & Outreach: Investing in Prevention
Western Growers’ Science and Federal Affairs teams continue to work closely with allied trade associations to strengthen funding for food safety education and outreach. These efforts remain the most cost-effective tools for improving produce safety and advancing FSMA’s prevention-based framework. Recent funding fluctuations have highlighted vulnerabilities in the national education and…
New Report Examines Imported Produce Oversight
The Western Growers Science team recently released a report that examines how imported fresh produce is regulated relative to domestic production and identifies opportunities to strengthen oversight of foreign suppliers. The analysis highlights structural gaps in inspection frequency, reliance on importer-based controls under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) and limited…
FDA Human Foods Program 2026 Priorities: What They Mean for Fresh Produce
The FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) recently released its 2026 Priority Deliverables, outlining a broad set of activities focused on food safety, nutrition, prevention and public health. The priorities span a wide range of topics, including contaminants in food, microplastics, the Closer to Zero initiative and other emerging scientific and regulatory issues. For the fresh produce industry,…
GAO’s FSMA Findings: What They Mean for the Fresh Produce Industry
In January 2026, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report to Congress evaluating how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is implementing the preventive framework under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) — the landmark law intended to shift the U.S. food safety system from reacting to foodborne illness to preventing it. Recent media coverage has largely…
Fresh Produce Sampling: Questions and Resources for Members
Ongoing fresh produce sampling conducted by government entities across some states has raised questions from fresh produce companies about what to expect and how to respond. To address common questions during these situations, we are releasing a Q&A resource that addresses commonly asked questions related to government-led sampling, including appropriate actions, documentation considerations…
FDA’s 2026 Funding Bill: What Does It Mean to You?
The newly released 2026 funding bill for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration makes clear that no funds may be used until July 2028 to enforce the Food Safety Modernization Act Section 204(d) Food Traceability Final Rule, provided several specific conditions are met. First, FDA is directed to engage quarterly with regulatory and other stakeholder entities to identify and implement additional…
Audit Fatigue Survey on Food Safety and Sustainability
Do you ever feel weighed down by too many audits? We want to hear from you. Western Growers is inviting fresh produce member companies to participate in a survey on audit fatigue. The survey explores issues fresh produce companies face every day when complying with buyer and regulatory food safety and sustainability programs. Our goal is to identify inconsistent and redundant food safety and…
From Oversight to Impact: Reflections from the 2025 Food Safety Consortium
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” – C.S. Lewis This quote is a powerful reflection on perspective and perception. It set the tone for the keynote remarks and the discussions that followed. The keynote speaker, Dr. Emilio Esteban, former Undersecretary for Food Safety at USDA and now Chief…
Traceability Regulation: A Global Impact Beyond U.S. Borders
When it comes to food safety regulations, what happens in the United States does not stay in the United States. Companies that want to sell into the U.S. market must comply with U.S. regulations—regardless of where they operate. That is why the FDA’s Food Traceability Rule under FSMA 204 has global significance. Why This Matters for International Operations Traceability requirements…
FDA Publishes New Agricultural Water Resources
FDA Publishes New Agricultural Water Resources On September 30, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted additional materials to support growers, regulators, and other stakeholders in implementing the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Specifically, the FDA has issued a Constituent Update, posted several frequently asked questions…
Building Global Readiness: Why FSVP Training Matters
At the recent 2025 NASDA Annual Meeting, a presentation on global trends in agriculture underscored predictions made more than a decade ago: by 2025, produce markets would be more global, more interdependent, and more complex. Today, those forecasts are a reality. Imports of key produce commodities have surged while U.S. production for some crops has declined, and nearly half of all fresh…
FDA Issues Letter on Recall Modernization
On July 9, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a letter outlining its vision to enhance product recall communications across the food industry. The agency emphasized the importance of streamlining how recalls are communicated with both the public and regulatory partners. While this notice is directed to the baby food industry, it is important to share. The letter highlights…
Cooperative Agreement Programs: How State–Federal Partnerships Strengthen Food Safety for Growers
Working with state departments of agriculture, universities and extension programs has given me a front-row seat to how cooperative agreement programs function in practice. To frame this story, I am starting with a few questions. What Are Cooperative Agreements? Cooperative agreements are a powerful tool for strengthening the U.S. food safety system. These partnerships between federal…
USDA Opens Public Comment Period on Reorganization Plan
Deadline: August 26, 2025 On August 1, 2025, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the opening of a 30-day public comment period on USDA’s proposed reorganization plan. The plan, outlined in a July 24 memorandum, seeks to consolidate and optimize functions within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve effectiveness, enhance services, reduce bureaucracy…
CPS Report Release: 17 Years of Research Insights
The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) aims to fund research, find solutions and fuel change in fresh produce food safety. Since 2007, CPS has funded 236 research projects across 49 institutions worldwide, investing over $43 million in food safety advancements. This week, CPS announced the release of a research report regarding 17 years of research findings. The report addresses the following…
Reshaping Regulatory Frameworks: Why Prevention is Essential for Continuous Improvement
In food safety, regulatory frameworks are critical for setting the baseline for compliance, defining clear expectations and ensuring accountability. However, true progress requires fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Frameworks must evolve beyond lists of requirements that encourage a checklist mentality—one that often falls short in driving meaningful, preventive food safety…