Food Safety Program Continues for 94 Percent of the Nation’s Leafy Greens Under California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Program

In the wake of cuts to federal food safety programs, California leafy greens farmers want to assure consumers that mandatory, government-enforced food safety practices are taking place on their farms every day.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) was featured in a segment of CBS Sunday Morning yesterday to demonstrate how California leafy greens farmers are proactively working to ensure the safety of their products.

As part of the segment, reporter David Pogue visited the cabbage farm of Jack Vessey in Holtville, California and spoke with LGMA Chief Executive Officer Tim York about the mandatory food safety program implemented by leafy greens farmers in 2007 to ensure science-based food safety practices are being followed on leafy greens farms.

Pogue describes the LGMA as a “coalition of farmers overseen by the California Department of Food and Agriculture who’ve agreed to adopt food safety protocols sooner and more stringent than the government’s. Ninety-four percent of the nation’s leafy greens are covered by this agreement.”

Pogue explains how government auditors verify required food safety practices are being followed by farmers like Vessey.

“This CBS Sunday Morning show offers a quick look at what leafy greens farmers are doing to prevent outbreaks,” says York. “We want to emphasize that the LGMA program is unaffected by changes at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lettuce farmers are following required practices and we continue to update and improve our food safety program independently. California Department of Food and Agriculture auditors are regularly in our fields to verify farmers are in compliance with our stringent practices.”

“California produces the majority of our nation’s fresh fruits and vegetables. We take food safety very seriously here,” said California Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “For decades, California has implemented and enforced some of the most stringent regulations in the world when it comes to agricultural pesticide use, environmental and worker protections and ensuring the overall safety of the healthy foods our farmers produce. We want to assure consumers that California state safety auditors are continuing to inspect leafy greens farms like those depicted in the CBS Sunday Morning piece.”

York explains that the LGMA program was enacted by leafy greens farmers themselves to address past food safety outbreaks associated with their products.

“For leafy greens farmers, food safety is a top priority,” says York. “Most of the time leafy greens are eaten raw and they are grown outside. Every precaution possible is taken to prevent contamination. That is exactly why California lettuce farmers took steps to create and fund our own program. We are supportive of federal food safety laws, but we are not relying solely on the federal government. It is our responsibility to ensure our products are safe.”

York went on to explain that in addition to the LGMA food safety program, in today’s environment most retail and foodservice operations insist that their suppliers have food safety programs. This means that leafy greens farms are not only audited by the CDFA, but retail operations have their own food safety inspectors who regularly visit farms to verify food safety practices are being followed.

In addition, York noted the LGMA requires its members to have in place a traceback program so that, in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak, the products potentially involved can be quickly recalled.

In the CBS Sunday Morning segment, farmer Jack Vessey explains that his company performs mock recalls two times per year to ensure the traceback program is working. As part of the drill, his food safety director will identify a box of cabbage or lettuce that has been shipped.

“Within 30 minutes, I can tell you what field the product came from, what fertilizer was used, what seed company provided the seed and what harvest crew worked that day,” says Vessey. “Because the ability to stop a truck and bring product back is very important.”

“No one wants to experience foodborne illness, least of all the leafy greens community,” says York. “We will continue to work to ensure our products are safe with or without the government’s assistance. We urge everyone in the produce industry to share this CBS Sunday Morning piece and to communicate with consumers all you are doing to produce safe food.”

About California LGMA: The California LGMA is a food safety program that brings farmers together to make lettuce and leafy greens safer. LGMA members in California and Arizona produce over 94% of the Nation’s lettuce and leafy greens - adding up to over 50 billion servings a year. In an effort to provide consumers with safe leafy greens, the California LGMA verifies food safety practices, enforces through government audits and requires a commitment to continuous improvement. Learn more at www.lgma.ca.gov

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