September is National Food Safety Education Month, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rises to the occasion, revealing plans to spot-test Salinas Valley leafy green growers for contamination this fall.
Keeping its foot on the gas when it comes to food safety, the FDA targets farms and ranches identified with potential microbial risk in a recent report. The FDA’s Microbiological Surveillance Sampling Report revealed three positive samples of a human pathogen — one instance of salmonella and two of E. coli — out of the 498 lettuce cases tested in the Salinas Valley during the 2021 harvest season.
While the overall contamination rate was less than 1%, even a low rate of leafy green contamination with salmonella or E. coli could result in a significant foodborne illness outbreak, according to the FDA.
“The [Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement] and its members are fully committed to food safety, and we support efforts to prevent foodborne illnesses. As always, lettuce growers and shippers are cooperating fully [with] the FDA. In concert with Western Growers and Grower-Shipper Association, we asked FDA for clarification on the program elements, and encouraged them to share testing data and learnings with the industry,” said Tim York, CEO of LGMA.
The Food Safety Modernization Act has been in place for 11 years, and it’s been over three years since the FDA secured mandatory recall authority under FSMA. In addition to spot-testing, the FDA promotes food safety improvements through root cause investigations, technical assistance, and public and private collaboration.
While notable advancements have been made since FSMA was enacted — such as traceability, modernization and strengthening the safety of imports — a future without recalls will require continued advocacy from growers, retailers, processors and consumers alike. To learn more, view the FDA Leafy Greens Shiga toxin-producing E. coli Action Plan. And read more about Food Safety Education Month on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
