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Posts By: Sonia Salas

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Update on Dec. 2021 Packaged Salad Listeria Outbreak Investigation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to packaged leafy greens. On January 7, 2022, as a result of continued investigations, the producer issued a voluntary recall of additional products after detecting ...

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FDA Releases Enforcement Guidance for Human Food with Chlorpyrifos Residues

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a guidance document titled Questions and Answers Regarding Channels of Trade Policy for Human Food Commodities with Chlorpyrifos Residues: Guidance for Industry. The guidance is intended to help food producers and processors who handle foods that may contain residues of the pesticide chemical chlorpyrifos. The Environmental ...

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March 11 Webinar on Proposed Ag Water Rule

On March 11, 2022, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and California Department of Food & Agriculture is co-hosting a webinar to discuss the recently released U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule, “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water.” The webinar ...

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New Research Advocates for a Data-Based Collaborative Approach to Harvest Equipment Sanitation and Hygienic Design

On February 14, a white paper on harvest equipment sanitation titled “Periodic Deep Cleaning Study of Harvesting Equipment” was made publicly available that advocates for a data-based approach to Periodic Equipment Cleaning (PEC) and hygienic redesign of harvest equipment. The report was coordinated by the Leafy Greens Harvester Sanitation and Hygienic Design Working Group. PEC includes…

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New FDA Report Finds No PFAs in Sampled Produce

A report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found no PFAs in the sampled produce that was part of the organization’s most recent testing of the general food supply. Eighty nine of 92 food samples showed no detectable levels of PFAs, while three seafood samples – tilapia, cod and shrimp – had detectable ...

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FDA Releases Summary Report on Avocado and Guacamole Sampling Assignment

On March 16, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released findings from a sampling assignment that collected and tested processed avocado and guacamole from November 2017 to September 2019. The assignment sought to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in processed avocado and guacamole as part of the FDA’s ongoing ...

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FDA Launches Ag Water Assessment Builder to Help Farms Understand Ag Water Proposed Rule Requirements

On March 21, 2022, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a new Agricultural Water Assessment Builder to help farms understand the proposed requirements for an agricultural water assessment in the Agricultural Water Proposed Rule. Use of the tool is optional. If finalized, the proposed rule would require farms to conduct systems-based agricultural water assessments…

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Preservation Inc./CURES to Hold Events on Central Coast Water Quality

Under Ag Order 4.0, Preservation Inc. (PI) continues monitoring water quality of Central Coast agricultural-dominated waterways. In these upcoming meetings, PI will review past and current sampling results from the Cooperative Monitoring Program (CMP) in the Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys. The Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewarship (CURES) will report on its best management…

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Upcoming WG Science Webinar: REP Strains, the CDC and FDA’s Perspective, and STEC Investigation Learnings

The development of whole genome sequencing (WGS) has improved foodborne illness surveillance and outbreak detection. Use of WGS has led to the recognition of some pathogenic strains that cause reoccurring, emerging, or persisting (REP) illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other federal and state partners ...

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Comment Period to Revise LGMA-Approved Guidelines Closes May 31, 2022

Since the inception of the California and Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements (LGMAs), Western Growers (WG) has been at the forefront of revising the written “Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens” for the industry in both states. These guidelines are known as the LGMA-approved guidelines. On ...

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Comment Period to Revise LGMA-Approved Guidelines Now Closes June 15

The comment period closing date associated with revisions on Pre-harvest Product Testing in the LGMA-approved guidelines has been extended to June 15, 2022 to grant interested parties additional time to draft proposed revisions to the metrics or submit comments. Western Growers will host a web discussion to publicly present and discuss all proposed changes and ...

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Comment Period to Revise LGMA-Approved Guidelines Closes Tomorrow

The comment period closing date associated with revisions on Pre-harvest Product Testing in the LGMA-approved guidelines closes June 15, 2022. Western Growers will host a web discussion to publicly present and discuss all proposed changes and comments received during the comment period. The webinar date will be confirmed once the comment period concludes. Stakeholders interested ...

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Western Growers Leads Discussions of Food Safety Innovation at 2022 CPS Research Symposium

The Center for Produce Safety’s 13th Annual Research Symposium was held June 21-22, 2022 in La Jolla  Calif. Western Growers President & CEO Dave Puglia moderated a segment that considered the question: “What can the produce food safety community learn from the airline industry?” The discussion opened with an interview between Randy Babbitt, the Principal ...

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USDA Announces Assistance for On-Farm Food Safety Expenses for Specialty Crop Growers

The USDA will provide up to $200 million in assistance for specialty crop producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 or 2023. For each year, the new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program (FSCSC) covers a percentage of the specialty ...

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency Announces Fall 2022 Import Requirements for U.S. Romaine Lettuce

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Wednesday announced the Fall 2022 import requirements for U.S. romaine lettuce. The requirements are the same as Fall 2021, but the enforcement timeframe has shifted slightly. The 2022 requirements now come into effect on Sept. 28, 2022 and will end Dec. 22, 2022. Pre-harvest sampling and testing will ...

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FDA Extends Compliance Dates for Pre-Harvest Ag Water Rule

On Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was extending the compliance dates for pre-harvest agricultural water provisions and outlined in the 2021 agricultural water proposed rule. The 2021 agricultural water proposed rule, if finalized, will require farms to conduct annual systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize ...

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FDA Releases Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released its summary of findings for its Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program’s monitoring of human and animal foods in FY 2020. The findings show that the levels of pesticide residues measured by the FDA in the U.S. food supply are generally in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) pesticide ...

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FDA Releases Paper-Based Versions of Ag Water Assessment Builder Tool in English and Spanish

The US Food and Drug Administration this week released paper-based versions of its agricultural water assessment builder tool in both English and Spanish. The agricultural water assessment builder was released in March 2022 as an online tool to help farms understand the proposed requirements for an agricultural water assessment in the Agricultural Water Proposed Rule. Use of…

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FDA Will Conduct On-Farm Surveillance Sampling of Salinas Valley Leafy Greens Starting September 19

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, the agency will conduct on-farm surveillance sampling of leafy greens grown in the Salinas Valley region during FY 2022-23. Under this assignment, samples only will be collected from farms and/or ranches identified by traceback investigations in recent years as being potentially ...

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Lunch & Learn Webinar June 24 — Current Regulatory Environment on Air Quality

The environment is always a hot topic and air quality, in particular, has the attention of both state and federal regulators. Are you up to speed on issues related to air quality and Best Management Practices (BMPs)? If not, join Western Growers for another of our ‘Lunch and Learn’ webinars geared toward providing you with ...

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