Sludge Watch ==> Dec 5 - Leafy greens conference in Phoenix

[Maureen Reilly]

FMI to hold December meeting on leafy greens
By Joan Murphy
11/24/2006
WASHINGTON -- Retailers and produce suppliers will be meeting next month to 
review the industry's leafy greens action plan as buyers push to gain 
confidence in next spring's leafy green crops.

The Food Marketing Institute is holding a meeting Dec. 5 in Phoenix to hear 
an update on the cpntaminated spinach investigation, review the produce 
industry's new action plan and develop new purchasing guidelines for leafy 
greens.

More than 200 people in 26 states were sickened and several people died 
after eating California-grown fresh spinach contaminated with E. coli 
O157:H7. Months later, the spinach industry is still struggling to regain 
consumer confidence in the product, and restaurants and retailers are 
looking for an added layer of protection by reviewing buying contracts.

"Our next step is to bring together buyers and suppliers to discuss what 
changes need to be made, to review and comment on the action plan and to 
ensure the effectiveness of verification and compliance programs," said an 
FMI spokesperson. "Together we can identify and implement the steps 
necessary to rebuild confidence in the safety of fresh produce."

FMI spokesman Bill Greer said that its critical suppliers and buyers work 
together now to ensure the safety of next year's crop as new regulations 
would take years to develop. There is a sense of urgency in the current 
situation, he said. Retailers want the best practices for growers in place 
by next spring, he said.

To update the group on the spinach investigation, FMI has invited Barbara 
Cassens, the Food & Drug Administration's San Francisco district director, 
Jeff Farrar of the California Department of Health Services, Faye Feldstein 
of FDA's Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, Katherine Swanson of 
Ecolab Inc. and Trevor Suslow of the University of California-Davis.

After members of the produce trade associations outline the latest Lettuce & 
Leafy Greens Industry Action Plan, the Produce Marketing Association is 
slated to present the latest research on consumer confidence in leafy 
greens. Toni Hofer, food safety department manager for Raley's, a 
supermarket chain based in West Sacramento, CA, and Paul Ryan of FMI's Safe 
Quality Food Institute, are also invited.

FMI's SQF program was developed in 2003 to help retailers and consumers gain 
confidence in products through an independent certification program. Members 
of the SQF Fresh Produce Technical Subcommittee plan to meet the following 
day to review its certification program for fresh produce.

On the restaurant side, the National Restaurant Association is also working 
on revising its food-safety guidelines for fresh produce and plans to have a 
document available by the end of the year.


http://www.theproducenews.com/storydetail.cfm?ID=6478


Sludgewatch admin:  More talk of guidelines....guidelines are not 
enforceable.