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October 17, 2008
· PMA to feds – We have a traceability plan
· Computers speed produce inspection process
· Texas spinach industry packs a Popeye punch
· EPA fumigants proposal raises concerns
· Tomato ketchup has some benefits for kids
PMA to feds – We have a traceability plan
(PMA) – The federal government should first look at the
produce industry’s existing plan to achieve enhanced product traceability
before considering any new regulations, Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in written comments submitted
Oct. 8. The association’s comments will be reinforced in oral testimony at an
FDA public hearing Oct. 16.
Responding to an agency request for information about produce tracing systems,
the association urged FDA to consider the Produce Traceability Initiative’s
(PTI) recently-announced plan for moving the entire produce supply chain to a
common standard for electronic produce traceability as a model solution before
considering any further steps. PMA referenced numerous elements of PTI’s plan when answering questions posed by FDA in its
Sept. 24 Federal Register notice.
PMA Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs Kathy Means will
outline the PTI plan and reiterate PMA’s comments when she speaks Oct. 16 in
PMA told FDA that PTI’s plan, developed by a supply
chain-wide Steering Committee, provides a realistic and achievable plan that
would directly address FDA’s desire to enhance product tracing systems for
fresh produce. She said it will also improve the agency’s ability to use this
information to identify sources of contamination associated with fresh
produce-related outbreaks of foodborne illness.
“The industry has already spent considerable time and effort developing a
solution that we know is achievable,” said PMA’s Means. “FDA should take
advantage of our expertise and experience in this area by thoroughly examining
the Produce Traceability Initiative’s plan before blazing any new trails.
Anything less would be shortsighted, limiting the produce industry’s ability to
safeguard its products and business interests.”
PMA noted that the PTI plan already addresses many of FDA’s questions about
tracing systems. For example, responding to FDA’s query whether there should be
a produce-specific identifier placed on packages, PMA cited the PTI plan’s
requirement that packers obtain a unique company prefix from the GS1
international standards organization. PMA also noted that the PTI plan
addresses how to track product that has been commingled, the topic of another
FDA query. Regarding FDA’s question about whether a product tracing system
should be standardized, PMA pointed to the industry’s recommendations for
standardizing product coding, developed by PMA and the Canadian Produce
Marketing Association (CPMA) in 2007.
“We also reminded FDA that food companies, including produce companies, have
been required to trace product one step forward and one step back since the
Bioterrorism Act was enacted in 2002,” added Means. “Enforcing this existing
law before any additional legislative or regulatory requirements are imposed is
essential.”
The PTI’s plan was approved by the PTI Steering
Committee in late August; its approval was formally announced Oct. 7. Already
backed by 34 Steering Committee members with other companies signing on daily,
the plan was developed over a lengthy and intensive process by the group, which
hailed from across the produce supply chain, from field to store to
foodservice. Voluntarily established in late 2007 to drive chain-wide,
electronic traceability best practices and set goals for their adoption and
accountability, PTI is administered by PMA, United Fresh Produce Association
(United Fresh) and CPMA.
Visit http://www.pma.com/issues/TraceabilityComments.cfm to view
PMA’s Oct. 8 comments to FDA. To view the PTI action plan visit http://www.pma.com/cig/tech/traceability.cfm.
Computers speed produce inspection process
(AP via Google) – Mark Jolley used
to carry armloads of reference manuals and handbooks to the central
"We're the only state I'm aware of to put these kinds of tools in the
hands of our inspectors," said Jim Quigley, the Agriculture Department's
fruit and vegetable program manager. "It's really added another dimension
to our inspection programs."
The fruit and vegetable program currently inspects seven commodities — apples,
pears, cherries, asparagus, potatoes, onions, prunes, peaches and apricots —
for grade, size and quality to ensure they meet requirements of export
countries. The program is crucial, in particular, for the fruit industry, where
some $783 million in apples, cherries and other fruit were exported in 2007.
The Agriculture Department first introduced the computers to inspectors two
years ago, but they're only now being widely used. Inspectors use a stylus to
write on the tablet's screen, selecting criteria from drop-down fields and
checking boxes about the quality of the produce.
In one section, inspectors can select a type of fruit from a menu — say, a red
delicious apple — and an image of a good-grade red delicious apple appears on the screen. They can then use the stylus to spin
the apple on the screen for different views.
Information recorded on the computers is sent to the department's Web site in
short order, making it available in real-time to shippers and trade
associations responsible for marketing their crops and monitoring crop
movement.
"It's been a very good help," said Charlie Pomianek,
manager of the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, which monitors crop
shipments. "When we get into November, we'll have a really good idea of
what the crop is, but if the industry is likely to be out of certain varieties
by the first of June, we have to ship so many loads to accomplish that. Now we
can accurately show how we're doing that throughout the season."
Also new to the inspection process: Packers and shippers can now submit
certificates of compliance electronically. "It's just easier," said
Rick Plath, president of Washington Fruit and Produce Co., which grows, packs
and ships apples, pears and cherries from central Washington and Oregon.
"Any time you can do something electronically, it speeds the
process."
Texas
UVALDE – Like Popeye after eating a can of the leafy greens,
“While overall spinach production is down, we’re still encouraged about our industry as a whole,” said Ed Ritchie, president of the Winter Garden Spinach Producers Board. “There’s strong consumer demand for our product. We also feel that with the way the economy is now, fewer people will be eating out and more will be eating at home. That should increase sales.”
Ritchie, himself a spinach producer and shipper in the
Winter Garden area, which includes several southwestern
“Part of that reduction in acreage was a result of the E. coli scare a few years ago,” he said. “And part is due to farmers choosing to grow alternative row crops, especially grain crops, because right now these crops are getting higher revenues.”
Ritchie said about 3,200 acres in
The Winter Garden area currently produces about 90 percent of Texas-grown spinach. Planting is already under way, and harvesting of the upcoming crop should begin around the second week in November.
“
Pena said
“After a slight decline in 2005 and 2006, the demand for
fresh vegetables is increasing again,” he said. “Demand is especially high for
attractive, high-quality greens with good taste and high nutritional value. And
Pena said while processed spinach consumption increased in
2007 after the E. coli scare, the majority of the
“The industry has done a good job of making the public aware of the nutritional and health benefits of spinach, including its antioxidants and cancer preventing qualities,” he said. “But there are still lingering consumer concerns about product safety.”
While there has never been an instance of E. coli associated
with spinach produced in
“
Ritchie said every
"We’re also starting to label our spinach with a country of origin designation which includes the city and state so people can know the specific area it came from,” he said. “This will help keep the consumer more informed about the product they’re eating.”
“Now that the USDA has approved irradiation of spinach, consumers will realize this is a safe and effective means of killing the bacteria that may cause E. coli,” he said. “And adopting it will add another level of safety to an already extremely safe product. We’re working with area producers to address any logistical or perceptual issues they may have about this.”
Stein added the
“The cost of transporting spinach from
“We’re also looking into more area spinach producers bagging their own spinach and shipping it out from here,” Stein said. “Currently a lot of the product is shipped east for packaging. Bagging it themselves will save on costs and also enable producers to have even more control over their product.”
Stein said the current status and future of the
“We’ll be having our fourth annual International Spinach
Conference,” said Stein, who is coordinating the conference. “This year we will
have growers, shippers and industry leaders from
“The
EPA fumigants proposal raises concerns
(AgProfessional.com) – As previously reported by the
Agricultural Retailers Association, the Environmental Protection Agency issued
a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comments on the availability of
the Reregistration Eligibility Decisions (RED) for
the soil fumigant pesticides chloropicrin, dazomet, metam sodium/potassium and methyl bromide.
EPA extended the comment period to Oct. 30, following a written request
submitted by ARA. More than 25 members of Congress recently sent a letter to
the EPA raising concerns on the impact the agency's soil fumigants proposal
will have on agricultural operations, especially as it relates to chloropicrin
and buffer zone requirements.
The Sept. 26 congressional letter states, "We are concerned that the
buffer zones for certain crop uses and the monitoring and notification
requirements in the chloropicrin RED would make it impossible for many growers
to use this important tool. The required buffer zones and other limitations
that the RED places on chloropicrin will have severe repercussions for
agriculture in our states, including the production of fruits and vegetables
for American families and seedlings for reforestation."
The letter also points out that the EPA proposal, if implemented, would
drastically limit the acreage planted, reduce crop yields and increase
production costs. ARA also is concerned about how this proposal impacts the
application of soil fumigants-potentially setting a bad precedent that could
affect agricultural pesticide products.
Under the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003, the EPA must complete
REDs for nonfood use pesticides by Oct. 3. The
purpose of the reregistration program is to mitigate
risks associated with the use of older pesticides while preserving their
benefits. Pesticides that meet today's scientific and regulatory standards may
be declared "eligible" for reregistration.
ARA plans to weigh in on this EPA proposal.
Tomato ketchup has some benefits for kids
(mailonline.co.uk) – It is a favourite of children everywhere, yet tomato ketchup is to be banned from some schools in a move to encourage healthier eating habits.
On the basis that it is too high in sugar and salt, schools controlled by the Vale of Glamorgan Council will no longer offer the condiment with their meals.
Yet nutrition experts claim it is a step too far and that the council has got it wrong.
Under food industry guidelines, the daily amount for a five to ten-year-old is 4g of salt and 85g of sugar.
A generous squirt of ketchup contains just 0.4g of salt and 4g of sugar.
'The council has probably looked at the values of sugar and salt per 100g but the thing is that tomato ketchup is consumed in small amounts - nothing like 100g, which would be about 15-20 teaspoons,' says nutrition scientist Joanne Lunn of the British Nutrition Foundation.
'Often it's the things that children are eating with the ketchup, such as fried foods, that should attract more concern.'
In fact, ketchup has some redeeming factors. It is rich in lycopene, the powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidant that gives tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables their bright colour.
'Because it is fat soluble, lycopene needs the presence of some fat to be absorbed in the gut,' says Lunn.
'In that respect, ketchup is ideal because it is often added to foods which contain exactly that.'
In a study last year, Finnish scientists suggested that eating ketchup every day could actually be good for the heart by attacking 'bad' cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
Subjects who added a few dollops to their meals saw their LDL levels drop significantly within three weeks, according to the findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
But ketchup is not the only childhood tea-time favourite to come under attack.
Last week it was announced that Marmite was to be banned by another Welsh council, Ceredigion, because of its high salt content.
A typical serving of Marmite is 2g, which provides 0.25g of salt, just six per cent of the daily total.
As a yeast extract, it is also a good provider of the B vitamins. 'Neither ketchup or Marmite should be taken at every meal,' says Lunn.
'But there are far worse things they could be eating.'
End Transmission