The California Farm Bureau Federation has submitted a statement to the House Agricultural Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, urging lawmakers to develop a system that will clearly identify the targets of food recalls. This comes after the Federal Food and Drug Administration first pointed their finger at tomatoes and then hot peppers as possible culprits in this summer’s nationwide salmonella outbreak that has mystified FDA investigators for months. Although the ongoing investigation into the cause of the outbreak has recently centered on serrano and jalapeno peppers from Mexico, California tomato and pepper growers continue to feel the dire effects of the now defunct implications on their produce. Specifically, the California tomato market has been severely impacted, with some growers estimating that it will take up to five years before the market will be able to financially recover. Ed Beckman, president of the California Tomato Farmers cooperative based in Fresno, says that tomato sales on the West Coast were down nearly 40 percent in June. According to Beckman, although the tomato market is showing signs of recovery in the food service sector, the demand for retail produce is still weak. Beckman testified last month in one of two congressional hearings that looked at the traceability of produce, as well as the damages to the tomato sector caused by the FDA’s actions. Beckman questioned the FDA’s approach to the outbreak, but could not suggest a revised procedure “until the FDA opens up and tells us what happened.” Recommendations from the Farm Bureau included more funding and staffing to investigate food borne illnesses, as well as better reporting and communication between the FDA and food handlers. In addition, the Farm Bureau is calling for revised FDA procedures that will pinpoint the culprit of a food-borne illness before a consumer alert is made. The Bureau would also like to see risk-management tools put in place that will compensate producers for losses attained through no fault of their own.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008 04:26
Food Recall System Needs Overhaul
The California Farm Bureau Federation has submitted a statement to the House Agricultural Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, urging lawmakers to develop a system that will clearly identify the targets of food recalls. This comes after the Federal Food and Drug Administration first pointed their finger at tomatoes and then hot peppers as possible culprits in this summer’s nationwide salmonella outbreak that has mystified FDA investigators for months. Although the ongoing investigation into the cause of the outbreak has recently centered on serrano and jalapeno peppers from Mexico, California tomato and pepper growers continue to feel the dire effects of the now defunct implications on their produce. Specifically, the California tomato market has been severely impacted, with some growers estimating that it will take up to five years before the market will be able to financially recover. Ed Beckman, president of the California Tomato Farmers cooperative based in Fresno, says that tomato sales on the West Coast were down nearly 40 percent in June. According to Beckman, although the tomato market is showing signs of recovery in the food service sector, the demand for retail produce is still weak. Beckman testified last month in one of two congressional hearings that looked at the traceability of produce, as well as the damages to the tomato sector caused by the FDA’s actions. Beckman questioned the FDA’s approach to the outbreak, but could not suggest a revised procedure “until the FDA opens up and tells us what happened.” Recommendations from the Farm Bureau included more funding and staffing to investigate food borne illnesses, as well as better reporting and communication between the FDA and food handlers. In addition, the Farm Bureau is calling for revised FDA procedures that will pinpoint the culprit of a food-borne illness before a consumer alert is made. The Bureau would also like to see risk-management tools put in place that will compensate producers for losses attained through no fault of their own.
