The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will not conduct a broad sampling of leafy greens grown in the Salinas Valley region of California for the 2022 growing season.
The decision was made based on data from Western Growers, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement and the California Department of Food and Agriculture inspection activities, according to a news release from Western Growers.
The FDA encouraged the organizations to continue to work with the agency to enhance the sharing of industry information on pre-harvest and postharvest testing, as all parties aim to assure the safety of leafy greens, the release said.
“Western Growers is committed to developing and deploying data collection and analytic digital tools to further enhance the sharing of industry information,” De Ann Davis, senior vice president of science for Western Growers, said in the release. “We think this is an encouraging development for our members as we strive to grow the safest produce possible.”
The FDA has said it is considering risk-based surveillance sampling based on historical data and information from previous outbreaks of foodborne illness and reserves the right to reassess this approach if unforeseen events occur.
