LGMA celebrates 10 years

Almost 11 years ago, a deadly E. coli outbreak traced to California spinach left the leafy greens market in disarray and growers struggled to regain consumer confidence.

Their solution, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, is celebrating its 10th anniversary and recently awarded its Golden Checkmark Award, which recognizes those who support food safety efforts in the industry.

Karen Ross, who became secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in February 2011, received the Golden Checkmark Award Aug. 10 in Sacramento during the first in series of meetings across the state to commemorate the anniversary.

“I am always in awe when I see what the leafy greens community has done with this program,” Ross said when accepting the award, according to a news release. “You have transformed an industry to establish a culture where everyone is thinking about how to make sure the food we’re delivering is safe. What you have accomplished in a remarkably short period should be held up an an example.”

California Department of Food and Agriculture auditors who are certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture conduct mandatory checks in fields, packinghouses and other produce facilities through the LGMA.

“Without the support of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement wouldn’t exist,” LGMA Chairman Steve Church, CEO of Church Brothers Farms, Salinas, Calif., said in the news release.

“The LGMA is a true public-private partnership where government and industry work together to ensure safe food,” Church said in the release. “Both are committed to this important job and the California leafy greens community is proud to be one of the first commodity groups to be regulated under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that will soon become federal law.”

The LGMA has been working in recent months to prepare for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, to ensure that about 20,000 California fresh produce operations are compliance with the new Food and Drug Administration law, according to the release.

“Since its beginnings, the leafy greens community has willingly invited government regulators onto their farms,” LGMA CEO Scott Horsfall said in the release. “Over the last 10 years, CDFA has performed more than 5,000 farm audits and the system has truly created a culture of food safety that is now ingrained in the farming of California leafy greens.”

Membership meetings scheduled for the LGMA anniversary were scheduled for Aug. 16 in Ventura, Aug. 17 in Pismo Beach and September 14 in El Centro, according to the release.