Romaine

Andy Boy Launches True Baby Romaine Hearts

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:37:01 GMT

D’Arrigo California says it has introduced the first naturally compact, nonhybrid romaine heart variety: Andy Boy Baby Romaine Hearts. The introduction of baby romaine hearts expands the company’s romaine portfolio while maintaining its premium hearts program.

The company says this true romaine variety maintains the same structure, crunch and subtle sweetness as traditional romaine hearts, simply in a naturally smaller format.

Compared to traditional romaine hearts, baby romaine hearts feature a smaller core, resulting in more usable product per head and reduced trim loss, driving efficiency from field to fork. With its petite profile and true romaine characteristics, the product allows retailers to diversify their romaine assortment, the company says.

D’Arrigo California says, for retailers, this format supports flexible merchandising while appealing to new and evolving shopper segments. For foodservice operators, the naturally compact size promotes portion control, strong plate presentation and minimal prep waste. For consumers, it minimizes shrink and refrigerator space while still preserving the flavor and performance expected of romaine hearts.

“This is not a replacement for our existing jumbo romaine hearts program, which has been our flagship item for decades,” says John Scherpinski, director of business development. “Our core program continues to set the benchmark for quality and consistency in the category. Baby romaine hearts are designed to complement that foundation, offering additional flexibility, new merchandising opportunities and broader access within the romaine heart segment.”

The company says this variety was developed and trialed across multiple seasons in Salinas, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., and soft-launched earlier this year with production scaling.

Andy Boy Baby Romaine Hearts are available year-round in multiple pack configurations, including a 2-count, 3-count, 42-count liner and a 7 (2x3) saddlebag.

“Our new bags say it best: ‘Baby Sized, Grown-Up Flavor.’ Consumers get the same crunch and flavor they trust from Andy Boy in a naturally compact size that fits today’s evolving shopping habits,” says Morgan Tinari, director of marketing. “This launch is about growing the romaine business by inspiring new ways to enjoy romaine and connecting with new shoppers.”

3 food safety tools that could level up the fresh produce supply chain

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 19:19:26 GMT

Across the entire supply chain, understanding the real-time food safety risk for a fresh produce product can be daunting. Assessing food safety, for many, means ensuring a series of precise, science-based tasks, procedures, processes, verifications and record-keeping that can’t be phoned in.

Added to this is the pressure that comes with knowing that just one outbreak has the potential to devastate a business and an entire commodity. The recent coverage in the Netflix documentary “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” further highlights the scrutiny that fresh fruits and vegetables — leafy greens in particular — are facing in the U.S.

Related news: The real truth about your food

“The one thing I’ve learned the hard way, working in retail and at the FDA, is that oftentimes an entire commodity wins and loses together,” Frank Yiannas, a former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, recently told The Packer.

Faced with high stakes, how do growers, packers, shippers and retailers equip themselves to reduce risk, improve processes and embody best practices?

A handful of recent regulations and resources seek to do just that. These three new tools seek to raise the bar for all stakeholders so that the entire supply chain improves the way it delivers fresh, wholesome and safe fresh produce products to consumers.

1. FSMA rules level up requirements for high-risk foods

The latest Food Safety Modernization Act final rule calls for additional traceability records for specific foods the FDA has flagged as high risk. This additional due diligence has a compliance deadline looming on Jan. 20, 2026.

While that might sound far away, the steps needed to meet the new rule will be a heavy lift for many operations, requiring coordination and strategy to execute. It’s never too early to find out what one needs to do.

First step, to discover what the FSMA traceability final rule means for an operation, first determine if it grows, buys, sells or transports any of the food products that the FDA has identified as needing additional traceability records.

According to the FDA , the list includes the following fresh produce products:

Cucumbers.
Herbs.
Leafy greens (whole and fresh-cut).
Melons.
Peppers.
Sprouts.
Tomatoes.
Tropical tree fruits such as mango, papaya, jackfruit, lychee, bananas, dates, figs, pineapple and others.
Fresh cut fruits.
Fresh cut vegetables.

Once you’ve identified which products in operation will be affected and require additional traceability, get ready to monitor critical tracking events. These events include activities such as harvest and cooling and packing, and according to the FDA, they must include key data elements.

Related news: FDA appoints EPA veteran to build new Human Foods Program

In addition to tracking the right information, a traceability plan that includes supply chain partners is another essential step to ensure compliance with this new regulation. The FDA has a resource page with exemptions and requirements to support operations of all sizes.

2. Leafy greens risk-assessment tool

Between Arizona and California, Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement members produce over 90% of the U.S.’s lettuce and leafy greens, totaling over 50 billion servings a year, according to the associations.

To support leafy greens and lettuce growers and shippers, the Arizona LMGA and California LGMA recently teamed up with Arizona State University to develop a new food safety tool.

It is a straightforward, but powerful excel spreadsheet that evaluates a grower’s crop production environment. This assessment looks at various risks both on the ranch that the farmer controls and on land adjacent to the crop production area, according to a news release.

“The LGMA has always required that its members conduct an environmental risk assessment, but this new tool incorporates the LGMA requirements and standardizes the way that each member addresses specific hazards,” Teressa Lopez, Arizona LGMA program administrator, said in the release. “After completing the assessment, the user will get a risk score and see what impact specific mitigation measures can have on safety of the crop.”

The adjacent land uses and hazards measured in the tool include:

Animal operations.
Compost/soil amendment operations.
Non-leafy green crops.
Water source and systems/
Urban settings.
Other environmental considerations.

After hazards and risk considerations are entered by the grower, the tool assigns a risk-result rating. From this data, the user will be able to enter farm-level mitigations to address potential hazards that can ultimately adjust the risk rating, according to the release.

Access the Environmental Risk Assessment tool on the California LGMA site .

3. Industrywide ‘Romaine Test and Learn’ study

Food safety extends beyond the farm gate. The data and experiences growers gain on their individual farms is now, thanks to the California LGMA and its industry partners, being aggregated to better understand the entire leafy-green sector’s risks, outcomes and best practices.

The “Romaine Test and Learn” initiative is, according to the California LGMA, “an industrywide effort that collects, compiles and analyzes data, then utilizes the finding to inform future food safety practices that will improve the safety of leafy greens and prevent outbreaks.”

Related news: LGMA seeks to raise the food safety bar with industrywide romaine study

The study marks a shift away from reactive food safety approaches to proactive positioning, seeking to better understanding what is known, what is unknown and what patterns and trends are emerging from shared data and insights at the industrywide level.

To learn more about Romaine Test and Learn and to join the effort, read the California LGMA’s fact sheet on the initiative.

Canadian government sets more requirements for Salinas Valley romaine

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 19:06:14 GMT

Romaine lettuce headed to Canadian markets this fall can expect some additional red tape. The Canadian government has recently issued new, temporary control measures for romaine grown in California’s Salinas Valley from Sept. 28 through Dec. 20, 2023.

To import romaine or salad mixes containing romaine that come from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey, Calif., counties this fall, the importer must provide a preventative control plan that includes details on how romaine sampling and testing has occurred. Practically speaking, every romaine shipment entering Canada needs to have a Canadian Food Inspection Agency importer attestation form completed.

During this period, all leafy green imports to Canada not wanting to complete additional control measures must provide a proof of origin certificate that confirms that the lettuce was not produced in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito or Monterey, Calif., counties.

If the importer is shipping produce originating from the affected Salinas Valley counties or simply does not have a proof of origin certification, the following additional steps must be taken to import romaine or salad mixes containing romaine.

Temporary control measures

From late September to late December 2023, according to the Canadian government, additional control measures must be put into place to import romaine-containing products to Canadian markets:

A preventative control plan that includes a written procedure describing sampling, testing and implementation.
A completed attestation form provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency attesting that they have a certificate of analysis for each romaine lettuce product in the shipment, that sampling and testing were conducted according to license agreements under Safe Food for Canadians, and that E. coli O157:H7 was not detected.
Product was sampled and tested for E. coli according to either finish-product sampling or preharvest sampling methods and testing conditions outlined by the Canadian government.
Screening and confirmation testing was performed in a laboratory accredited by a body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Agreement.
A presumptive positive result from a screening method is treated as a positive result for E. coli O157:H7, unless a confirmation test is performed on the original enrichment broth within 24 hours of the first test and produces a negative result.

Romaine products will be considered an unlawful Canadian import if, from late September to late December, it fails to comply with the temporary license conditions.

To learn more, download forms and assess compliance, visit the Canadian government’s food imports resource page .

LGMA seeks to raise the food safety bar with industrywide romaine study

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 12:57:26 GMT

To up the ante on food safety, the fresh produce industry is taking notes from recent commercial air travel safety advances.

Mirroring the strides in the aviation industry over the last two decades — which has virtually eliminated fatal crashes in the last 13 years and counting through data sharing and standardizing best practices — the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has recently outlined a vision to crack the code on romaine lettuce food safety.

“We’ve got people investing millions of dollars — literally millions of dollars — into testing every year. If we’re working with that data in silos, we’re not learning from each other. If we’re not studying that data ourselves as individual companies, we’re not going to reap the benefit of it,” California LGMA CEO Tim York told The Packer.

‘Food safety is not a competitive issue’

LGMA’s blueprint for tackling romaine food safety is to learn from and analyze testing data in romaine lettuce production from participating members. The organization is accomplishing this by way of a two-year longitudinal study, recently approved unanimously by its advisory board, named “Romaine Test and Learn.”

The study aims to leverage members’ romaine lettuce pathogen test data to aggregate and analyze larger trends and opportunities at an industrywide level. Although testing will not be mandatory for LGMA members, anyone who does testing will be required to meet a minimum standard and submit testing data quarterly to the California LGMA, according to a news release.

“It’s a big step forward,” York said. “Getting members with proprietary data to trust and to vote unanimously as a board of advisors and handlers to say, ‘we trust LGMA enough that we’re going to submit our proprietary data because we think there’s value in learning together,’ that’s a remarkable accomplishment.”

Not only does that represent an evolution in how the LGMA leadership and board approaches romaine food safety, but also in how industry leaders are approaching the issue, he said

Launching this study is the first step in moving toward preventative food safety and away from reactive food safety, Jan Berk, LGMA chair and San Miguel Produce chief operating officer, told The Packer.

“Food safety is not a competitive issue. It’s a necessary issue that we have to be in alignment with and understand that we have the ability to help make change in a positive way — but we have to do it together,” Berk said.

This is a signficant step, but it’s also just the beginning, she said.

Related news: Picking up the pieces: California lettuce and leafy greens stabilize after rocky spring

“My hope is that we really do learn something from this, because we all are frustrated with any kind of food foodborne illness outbreaks,” Berk said. “This study is focusing on romaine specifically, which should help LGMA gain clarity and get some answers.”

She said better understanding of the issue is needed to move forward and develop a risk-based program.

What to expect next for the ‘Romaine Test and Learn’ study

The next steps of the “Romaine Test and Learn” kickoff include a public comment period, followed by a program rollout to members as early as the September, York said.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do on the on the backend — getting the database up and running and setting up our 83 handlers within the database to submit that information in a well-protected system,” he said.

The database will be hosted by the “Romaine Test and Learn” study partner, Western Growers. The organization will make its data sharing and analytics platform, GreenLink, available to fresh produce operators to submit anonymously. GreenLink will aggregate and transform disparate datasets to be analyzed, according to the release.

Learn more about GreenLink on the Western Grower’s site.

The data collection period for the study will span October 2023 through October 2025 with LGMA members sharing data quarterly and includes audit verification, according to the release.

Picking up the pieces: California lettuce and leafy greens stabilize after rocky spring

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:01:32 GMT

Markets and crop harvests are finally normalizing across the supply chain after the California climate brought challenges to lettuce and leafy greens growers in the first half of 2023.

“The climate this year really threw us a curveball, and it’s been it’s been difficult to spring back from, but we will,” Mary Zischke, Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and soil-borne diseases task force coordinator for the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California , told The Packer. “We’ve got the right location, climate and set of circumstances that this industry has always relied on to be the primary producer of leafy greens. I don’t think that’s going to change in the long term.”

The one silver lining to the early season rain, flooding and cool temperatures in Central California has been a reduction in disease pressure, Zischke said.

“We were faced with all these weather-related problems this year — flooding and ground that wasn’t drying out,” she said. “Planting schedules just got thrown completely off kilter this year, and that just ripples through a season.

“We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs in markets this year because the supply hasn’t been as reliable as usual due to our cold, wet winter that has just really thrown a monkey wrench,” she continued. “But things are back on track.”

Tiffany Stornetta, strategy manager for leafy greens and salad for meal kit company Hello Fresh, echoed Zischke’s assessment. Weather issues plagued leafy greens coming out of Salinas Valley in the first half of the year, causing compounding quality issues and gaps in supply until as recently as June, she told The Packer.

But Stornetta remains optimistic for the weeks ahead.

“It’s finally feeling like the doldrums of summer are here and most of the markets are stabilizing, which feels good,” she said.

How markets survived California’s wet winter and cool spring

One advantage to the meal kit and delivery service model is that buyers were able to pivot and navigate tricky markets this spring by making meal kit menu adjustments, Stornetta said.

“We have a unique situation where we are pushing produce out to our consumers and they’re not going to the shelf and picking and choosing. Our culinary team creates our recipes and meals,” she said. “There are times of the year where we’ll anticipate supply gaps. We’ll work with our culinary team to make sure that we’re not putting something on the menu that is going to go through a supply gap.”

This means that, unlike most retailers, when markets skyrocket, the meal kit and delivery service can pivot and adjust menus accordingly. But this innovative model brings new challenges.

“What we buy is pretty unique,” Stornetta said. “We buy, basically, anywhere from a 2-5 ounce bag of spinach. They’re meant to be consumed by two to four people — it’s a unique pack size, not something that you would see in the retail space or in foodservice.”

Because the company is shipping packaged product directly to a customer’s doorsteps to be cooked at home, conventional assumptions about the supply chain’s last mile don’t always match the Hello Fresh model.

“It presents its challenge — its own set of challenges, right? It’s a small bag of leafy greens and we’re putting it through the mail,” Stornetta said. “That means we really put a high priority on making sure that the quality going into the bag is right for our business model, and we set ourselves up and our suppliers up for success going through our supply chain.”

For producers, inflationary pressures layer on an additional hurdle to delivering high-quality, affordable greens to shelf.

“Like most other growers, recent inflation pressures have increased the cost to grow leafy greens,” John Georgalos, Ocean Mist Farms sales commodity manager, told The Packer. “Land, water, fertilizer, fuel, seed, etc. have all been affected. As a result, we’ve taken a detailed look at our expected needs and right-sized our program to match those needs. We continue to seek ways to farm and operate more efficiently and sustainably to minimize the impact of inflation on our customers.”

Despite myriad weather challenges, markets have been favorable overall for the grower.

“We’ve had a couple of windows in March and then in late May and June when supply exceeded market demand, causing markets to fall below cost,” Georgalos said. “But all in all, we’ve had a very good year so far.”

Unprecedented weather jostles business as usual

“As an industry, we rely on historic weather patterns to determine when we’re going to plant, which seed variety use [and so on]. When this changes, it disrupts the normal flow of supply,” Georgalos said.

This unprecedented weather caused a ripple effect in planting schedules.

“This year has been the most challenging in recent memory [for weather],” he said. “Extreme winter weather altered planting schedules and delayed harvest by up to three weeks, and periods of nonstop rain were followed by flooding.”

Crops were planted late and experienced wetter, colder weather than normal in the spring months, he said.

“Many leafy green crops tended to be bunched, causing some gaps and periods of oversupply,” Georgalos added. “The first crops planted were affected the most. By the time the second planting went in, weather had normalized, bringing more consistent supplies.”

Diversifying growing regions to reduce risk

Unpredictable weather patterns such as these have underscored the advantage of having diverse growing regions available. For some growers, that means looking outside of California.

“Foxy Organic produce is now being shipped out of the Walker River Cooling Facility in Yerington, Nev. This area produces the best organic quality in the country from late May to the middle of October,” John Amaral, sales manager for The Nunes Co. , told The Packer. “Also, the location in Nevada brings the product closer to the customers, easily saving a day and a half in transportation time with carriers not having to come into California, saving 600 miles. This gives our customers fresher product with less shrink.”

It’s not just growers. Retailers are starting to ask questions and make sure they have a one or more contingency plans ready in the event of unforeseen weather.

“What we’ve had to do is to really make sure that, as we’re [lining up our] supply for leafy greens, we’re diversifying our growing regions,” said Hello Fresh’s Stornetta.

Having weathered the California weather patterns over the last two seasons, Stornetta said it’s critical to discuss risk strategy with her suppliers.

“We’re making sure not only that we’re diversifying our growing regions [that we buy from], but also that our suppliers have some sort of contingency planning built into their model,” she said. “We don’t want to see high risk in their plans, and we don’t want to see high risk in our plans. We’re very much focusing on making sure that we’ve got multiple growing regions going at the same time.”

Growers regain normalcy after a rocky spring

Cultivating iceberg lettuce, romaine and green, red and butter lettuce varieties, Ocean Mist Farms has had luck navigating the tricky weather patterns earlier this year largely due to its vertically integrated supply chain.

“Ocean Mist Farms is fortunate in that we own much of the land we farm, and our in-house team manages the farming and harvest operations,” Georgalos said. “We’ve been able to minimize major supply impacts by working together to coordinate harvests and proactively manage any swings in supply. We’re also constantly trying to match our available supplies with the needs of our customers and keeping our customers up to speed with our supply forecasts. This has been a very successful model this year.”

The Nunes Co., home of Foxy Fresh Produce, was able to leverage its diversified supply chain to maintain close to normal volumes.

“A good land base up and down the Salinas Valley provides flexibility when navigating any weather-related challenges,” Amaral said.

The grower produces organic and conventional lettuce greens along with chard, spinach, kale, cabbage and collard greens. While it didn’t experience supply gaps, the cooler temperatures and weather caused a delay earlier in the year, though it’s back on track with “summertime volume and good quality.”

“Weather conditions made it much more difficult [than in 2022],” Amaral said.

Over the last three to four months, the unfavorable weather, an unseasonably cool June in the Salinas Valley and persistent fog have affected production, he said.

In addition, Amaral saw an increase in demand due to supply shortfalls coming out of regions that faced adverse weather conditions, such as extreme heat in Mexico.

Setting sights on the summer months ahead

Georgalos of Ocean Mist Farms is expecting strong quality coming out of fields but likely lighter-than-average harvests through July.

“Below-normal temps during the last five weeks are starting to have an effect,” Georgalos said. “We see industry volume trending downward at a time when production is normally very high.”

The grower experienced slight delays earlier this season in Castroville, Calif., due to heavy winter rains, but things have been steady since the fields matured, he said.

Despite challenges, Stornetta at Hello Fresh is excited about the salad category this year.

“We have quite a few new recipes on the menu. We’ll see how those play out over the next couple of months, and I’m looking forward to expanding our salad options,” she said.

In addition to buying bags of spinach, along with arugula and spring mix blends, Stornetta said she’s enthusiastic about the recent addition of baby romaine to meal kits.

“We take baby romaine and pack it into a single bag [that’s] dropped into our kits. It’s a perfect size for a two- to four-person meal,” she said. “There’s a variety of things that our culinary team loves to play with; we use it in salads, we use it as a lettuce wrap or cup. It’s a wonderful size for us. It’s just this little, tiny head of romaine. It’s nice and compact and you get a lot of use out of a small footprint.”

Revol Greens to double romaine production with new 20-acre Texas greenhouse

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:09:16 GMT

Greenhouse lettuce grower Revol Greens says it’s doubling down on romaine production for the remainder of 2022, with plans to maintain production increases in 2023.

How does it plan to achieve this expansion goal? Revol Greens is opening a new 20-acre protected greenhouse facility in Temple, Texas where it anticipates growing upwards of 17 million pounds of greens annually, after a second building phase is complete. This new facility will add another site to Revol Green’s already sizeable roster of organic and conventional lettuce facilities located in Minnesota, California and Georgia, according to a news release.

This is no small feat, as the grower’s current output totals $20 million, annually. The plan to double romaine production comes just in time for fall lettuce harvest and, while Revol Greens’ operation is increasing considerably, it plans to maintain its business model of harvesting, packaging and delivering products all within a tight turnaround of one day, ensuring freshness and extended shelf life, says the company.

“Developing programs anchored in organic growing practices, sustainability and locally grown will always be core to what we do,” Tom Thompson, chief revenue officer at Revol Greens said in the release. “Building on that foundation, Revol Greens also offers grocers and food service operators an alternative to field grown romaine and breadth and scale to customers as they seek a greenhouse-protected alternative.”

Plans for a new controlled environment facility is slated to include the latest greenhouse technology and incorporate innovative growing methods such as automated harvest and packing as well as low water lettuce irrigation that uses UV-sterilized rainwater.

According to the release, Revol Green’s greenhouse-grown lettuce offers “an alternative to reduce the supply risk” that many in the industry have faced in recent years due to foodborne illness-related recalls and Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV).

All Revol Greens operations are certified by Primus Labs to meet Global Food Safety Initiative Standards and Revol Green’s organic line is fertilized with a proprietary plant-based fertilizer, called Plant-Fed Organic Nutrient Sources, the company said.

Food safety and the anonymity of prevention

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 19:37:13 GMT

On the day before Thanksgiving, you hadn’t heard about any reported foodborne outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce that week. You hadn’t seen any recalls of romaine lettuce in the news. And you hadn’t heard of any widespread or sweeping advisories by the FDA or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advising consumers to avoid eating any romaine lettuce, regardless of where it’s grown.

Between 2009 and 2018, the FDA and CDC identified 40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens. Many of these outbreaks occurred year after year around this time.

In fact, right before the Thanksgiving holiday of 2018, a large outbreak resulted in a nationwide advisory to avoid all romaine lettuce. This at a time when Americans were sitting down around the dinner table to give thanks in a celebration largely centered around food.

So, why is it that during these past three Thanksgiving holidays romaine lettuce has not been in the news? Well, I call it the anonymity of prevention. And, importantly, I don’t think it has happened by chance.

I personally think it’s a result of collaborative action by stakeholders to implement measures outlined in the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan . That plan rallied the industry, academia and regulators to work together.

At that time, as deputy commissioner, I also asked the FDA to declare as a “reasonably foreseeable hazard” a recurring, persistent strain of E. coli (O157:H7) from a region in California, which got everyone’s attention and work more focused.

So, today I want to give a big “thank you” to everyone involved — especially growers and food processors that have had made food safety enhancements over the years — for the significant achievement: three years in a row with romaine lettuce remaining on the menu at Thanksgiving.

Don’t worry. I get it. When it comes to producing safe food, past success is no guarantee of future success. Food safety has to be done the right way, each and every day. Therefore, let’s all stay laser focused on continual improvement and prevention.

However, today I want to celebrate this accomplishment and say, “thank you.”

Together, we can bend the curve of foodborne illness so that consumers can live better lives.

Frank Yiannas is a former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, with 30 years’ experience in food safety leadership roles at Walmart and The Walt Disney Co. He led the design and implementation of initiatives such as the FDA’s Fresh Leafy Greens Action Plan, Final Food Traceability Rule, Proposed Agricultural Water Standard and the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative.

Western Growers' data sharing platform seeks to empower industry-level insights

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 19:07:48 GMT

Members of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement are adopting Western Growers’ proprietary GreenLink data sharing platform to collect and analyze food safety data. This movement towards industry cohesion means that the leafy green industry will using a standardized data-collection approach to gain industrywide insights, according to a news release.

The GreenLink platform was developed by the Western Growers science team in collaboration with member companies. GreenLink is designed to provide a digital, secure online platform that enables users to confidentially share food safety data, the release said.

Related news: LGMA seeks to raise the food safety bar with industrywide romaine study

“The use of GreenLink by the California LGMA is a huge step forward as our industry continues to make sure we advance the best food safety practices, which are essential to providing consumers the safest produce possible,” Western Growers Senior Vice President of Science De Ann Davis said in the release.

The power of data is irrefutable, and Western Growers thinks that food safety strategies dictated by science and prevention are the best way to maintain a secure food supply, Davis added.

Learn more and watch an information webinar, “The Future is Now: How Data Sharing Enhances Food Safety,” on Western Growers’ GreenLink site .

Related: 3 food safety tools that could level up the fresh produce supply chain

LGMA food safety auditing in pandemic boosted by online tools

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:08:56 GMT

As food safety audits of leafy greens continue during the pandemic, California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement members have access to new tools streamlining the audit data.

The new data collection process is through a collaboration with iFoodDecisionSciences (iFoodDS), the LGMA and Western Growers announced on May 18.

The process, which facilitates remote audits, has been approved for use by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which oversees audits of LGMA members, according to a news release.

In-person inspections are limited because of the pandemic, but much of the LGMA audits focus on reviewing verification documents.

“In a time where COVID-19 is testing all industries, this new auditing process will support food safety oversight during this pandemic,” Sonia Salas, assistant vice president of food safety, science and technology for Western Growers, said in the release.

The system was developed and tested in recent weeks. Sharan Lanini, the director of food safety for Pacific International Marketing and chairwoman of the LGMA’s technical committee, said in the release the program worked “extremely well from start to finish” during testing.

Streamlining of data and documents is a positive outcome of where the industry is now, according to Diane Wetherington, executive chairwoman of the IFoodDS board.

“The use of iFoodDS software will not only save the auditors time, but it will allow them to more efficiently assess compliance with LGMA food safety metrics through the use of a consistent online verification system,” she said in the release.

LGMA CEO Scott Horsfall said the program has been finding innovative ways to operate during the pandemic.

“This new auditing system is another example of the pioneering spirit of the LGMA and its commitment to find new and better ways to enhance the safety of leafy greens,” Horsfall said in the release.

Related stories:

Food safety solutions provider acquires HarvestMark

iFoodDS appoints Vic Smith to board of directors

Western Growers launches food safety software program

Marketscope — Vegetable f.o.b.s as of June 1

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:37:40 GMT

This information, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, shows week-by-week shipments and f.o.b.s for commodities from shipments for the fresh market. Protective services are extra unless otherwise stated. Shipments, in 1,000 cwt., are for weeks ending: 1st no. = May 16; 2nd no. = May 23; 3rd no. = May 30. Expected movement is for June 21 to July 4. F.o.b. prices are as of June 1.

Artichokes

CENTRAL DISTRICT CALIFORNIA — Shipments (19-17-16) — Movement expected about the same. Supply 12-18s fairly light. Trading 12-18s active, 24-36s moderate. Prices 12-18s higher, 24s slightly lower, 30-36s generally unchanged. Cartons Globe 12s mostly 18.55-18.75, 18s mostly 17.05-18.75, 24s mostly 14.75-16.65, 30s mostly 12.65-14.75, 36s 12.65-14.65; ORGANIC 12s 26.55, 18-24s 22.55, 30s 20.55. Quality variable.

Asparagus

PERU IMPORTS — PORTS OF ENTRY SOUTH FLORIDA Imports (18-33-27) — Movement expected to remain about the same this week, decrease next week. Trading Fairly Slow. Prices Large Much Lower, Standard and Jumbo Lower, Extra Large and Small Slightly Lower. From Peru. 11 pound cartons bunched jbo mostly 15.75-16.75, xlge mostly 15.75, lge mostly 14.75-16.75, std mostly 15.75-16.75, sml mostly 10.00-13.00.

MICHIGAN — Shipments (2-15-22) — Movement expected about the same. Trading opened active, closed fairly active. Prices Lower. Pyramid cartons 28 pound bunched Green large and std size mostly 48.00-52.95, 11 pound cartons bunched large and std size mostly 19.75-21.75. Quality good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS 2020 CROP — Crossings (23-18-19) — Expected to remain the same. Trading Fairly Slow. Prices Lower. 11 pound cartons/crates bunched green standard and large 16.75-17.75. Extra services included.
WALLA WALLA DISTRICT AND LOWER YAKIMA VALLEY WASHINGTON — Shipments (17-9-8) — Movement expected to decrease sharply as most handlers have finished marketing the crop. Washington Extra Fancy 28 pounds pyramid cartons/crates bunched large and standard supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. 11 pound cartons/crates bunched large and standard supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. Light — Shipments expected to continue thru June 12. LAST REPORT

Broccoli

SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA — Shipments (122-113-83) — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Available supply fairly light. Trading early active, late very active. Prices much higher. Cartons bunched 14s mostly 14.35-15.65, 18s mostly 14.85-16.15; 20 pound cartons loose Crown Cut mostly 16.35-18.85, Short Trim mostly 17.45-19.85. ORGANIC cartons bunched 14s mostly 30.55-32.95; 20-pound cartons loose Crown Cut mostly 32.55-34.50. Quality variable. Most present shipments from previous commitments and/or prior bookings.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings — (66-64-79) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early fairly slow, late very active. Prices much higher. 20 pound cartons loose Crown Cut Short Trim 13.50-14.50. Quality variable.

SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — Shipments (53-44-38) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early active, late very active. Prices much higher. Cartons bunched 14s 14.00-15.85, 18s mostly 14.50-16.35; 20 pound cartons loose Crown Cut mostly 15.85-17.75, Short Trim mostly 17.85-20.85. ORGANIC Cartons bunched 14s 30.00-34.50. Quality generally good.

Carrots

KERN DISTRICT CALIFORNIA — Shipments (173-185-231) — Movement expected about the same. Trading Moderate. Prices 50 pound jumbo slightly lower, others generally unchanged. 48 1-lb film bags medium-large mostly 15.30-15.40; 50 lb sacks loose jumbo mostly 12.65-16.40; 25 lb sacks loose jumbo mostly 6.65-8.20; cartons 30 1-lb film bags Baby Peeled 18.20-18.85. ORGANIC 48 1-lb film bags and 24 2-lb film bags medium-large mostly 20.00-26.35, 10 5-lb film bags medium-large mostly 20.00-20.70. Cartons 24 1-lb film bags Baby Peeled 20.00-22.50, cartons 12 2-lb film bags Baby Peeled 20.00-22.50, cartons 4 5-lb film bags Baby Peeled 20.00-22.50. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings — (59-72-68) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early fairly slow, late moderate. Prices Lower. 50 pound sacks loose jumbo mostly 9.50-10.00. Quality variable.

Cauliflower

SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA — Shipments (100-86-83) — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Supply fairly light. Trading early active, late fairly active. Prices 9-12s slightly higher, 16s generally unchanged. Cartons film wrapped White 12s mostly 15.35-17.65, 9s mostly 14.45-16.50, 16s mostly 13.55-15.65; ORGANIC 12s mostly 22.50-24.55, 9s mostly 22.00-22.55, 16s mostly 22.50-22.55. Quality generally good.

SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — Shipments (41-35-36) — Movement expected about the same. Trading Active. Prices Slightly Higher. Cartons film wrapped White 12s mostly 12.85-16.85, 9s and 16s 11.00-13.00. Quality generally good.

Celery

OXNARD DISTRICT CALIFORNIA — Shipments (256-272-220) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading moderate. Prices slightly lower. Cartons 2-3 dozen mostly 9.45-11.55; Hearts film bags 18s mostly 13.65-15.55. ORGANIC cartons 2-2 1/2 dozen 32.56-32.85; Hearts film bags 18s mostly 21.56-22.55. Quality variable.

SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — Shipments (62-60-54) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early fairly active, late fairly slow. Prices much lower. Cartons 2 dozen 8.00-9.85, 2 1/2 dozen mostly 8.85-9.85, 3 dozen mostly 8.00-9.00. Quality generally good.

SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA — Shipments (2-3-8) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market. Quality generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issued by June 5.

Corn, sweet

SOUTH GEORGIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (51-200-147) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Fairly Active. Prices many shipments under contract prices. Wirebound crates 4-dozen Yellow, White and Bi-Color 20.95-20.95. Quality generally good.

IMPERIAL AND COACHELLA VALLEYS CALIFORNIA — Shipments (207-161-80) — Movement expected to decrease. Trading Active. Prices Slightly Higher. Cartons/crates 4 dozen minimum White, Yellow and Bi color mostly 18.95-20.95. Quality generally good.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CALIFORNIA — Harvest expected to begin the week of June 7. Quality expected to be generally good. The first FOB report is expected to be issued by June 12. FIRST REPORT

Cucumbers

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings — (171-142-126) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading early moderate, late fairly slow. Prices small much lower, 24s generally unchanged, others lower. 1 1/9 bushel cartons medium mostly 8.95, fair quality mostly 6.95; small 5.95, large mostly 6.95. Cartons 24s 3.95-4.95, 36s mostly 4.95-5.95. Quality variable.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS — Crossings (103-88*-92) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early active, late moderate. Prices large generally unchanged, others slightly lower. 1 1/9 bushel cartons medium 9.95-10.95, fair quality 7.95-8.95; large 8.95-9.95. Quality variable. Most present shipments from prior bookings and/or previous commitments. (* revised)

SOUTH GEORGIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (10-26-33) — Movement expected to increase. Trading Moderate. Prices Higher. Waxed 1 1/9 bushel cartons/crates medium 20.35-20.85 fair quality 8.35-8.85, cartons 24s 6.35-6.85. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH OTAY MESA — Crossings (29-39*-28) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Trading Fairly Active. Prices GREENHOUSE 1 1/9 bushel cartons medium 10.95-12.95, fair quality 8.95-10.95, large mostly 8.95. Quality generally good. (*revised)

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (37-23-11) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Active. Prices Generally Unchanged. Includes palletizing and precooling. 1 1/9 bushel cartons/crates Pickles 150-200s 16.90, 200-300s mostly 20.00-21.90. Quality generally good.

Lettuce, iceberg

SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA — Shipments (456-435-426) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early active, late moderate. Prices 24s slightly higher, 30s slightly lower. Cartons 24s film lined mostly 14.35-15.00, filmwrapped mostly 15.35-16.00; 30s filmwrapped mostly 10.65-12.45; ORGANIC 24s filmwrapped 14.50-16.50, 12s filmwrapped 8.50-10.50. Quality variable.

SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — Shipments (74-82-72) — Movement expected about the same. Trading Active. Prices Higher. Cartons 24s film lined mostly 12.00-15.25, filmwrapped mostly 13.00-16.25. Quality generally good.

Lettuce, romaine

SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA — Shipments (373-360-365) — Movement expected about the same. Trading fairly slow. Prices Hearts 12 3-count slightly lower from market high on Friday, May 29; Hearts 48s generally unchanged from market high on Friday, May 29; 24s generally unchanged. Cartons 24s mostly 7.45-8.65; Hearts cartons 12 3-count packages mostly 11.56-12.85, Hearts film lined 48s mostly 13.45-14.75. ORGANIC cartons 24s mostly 20.55-23.25; Hearts cartons 12 3-count packages mostly 16.55-18.25. Quality variable.

SANTA MARIA CALIFORNIA — Shipments (60-58-41) — Movement expected about the same. Trading Moderate. Prices 24s slightly higher, Hearts generally unchanged. Cartons 24s 8.50-11.25; Hearts cartons 12 3-count packages mostly 12.85-13.50. Quality generally good.

Onions, dry

U.S. — Shipments (1,169*-1,213*-1,056) — The top shipping areas for the week, in order, were California, New Mexico, Georgia, Columbia Basin Washington, and Mexico. (* revised)

IMPERIAL VALLEY CALIFORNIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (296*-333*-242) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading Moderate. Prices Unchanged. Yellow Grano Type 50-pound sacks super colossal 9.00-10.00, colossal 8.00, jumbo 7.00-8.00, medium mostly 9.00; White 50-pound sacks jumbo mostly 12.00 medium 10.00-11.00; Red Globe Type 25-pound sacks jumbo 6.00-7.00, medium mostly 6.00. (* revised)

SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO 2020 CROP — Shipments (0-25-150) — Movement expected to increase as more shippers receive onions. Trading Moderate. Prices Reds higher, Yellow super colossal and jumbo lower, others generally unchanged Yellow Grano 50-pound sacks super colossal 12.00-14.00, colossal 11.00-12.00, jumbo mostly 9.00-10.00, medium 10.00-11.00; Red Globe Type 25-pound sacks jumbo 8.00-9.00, medium mostly 9.00.

VIDALIA DISTRICT GEORGIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (162-156-131) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Active. Prices Higher. Yellow Granex - Marked Sweet 40-pound cartons jumbo mostly 21.00-24.00; Organic 40-pound cartons jumbo 27.00-31.00.

LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS 2020 CROP — Shipments (239-134-127) — Movement is expected to decrease seasonally. Trading Active. Prices Unchanged. Yellow Grano-Type Marked Sweet 40-pound cartons jumbo 16.00-18.00, Yellow Grano - Type 50-pound sacks colossal mostly 10.00, jumbo mostly 9.00, medium 10.00-12.00, White 50-pound sacks jumbo 14.00-16.00, medium 12.00-14.00, Red 25-pound sacks jumbo mostly 8.00, medium mostly 8.00.

COLUMBIA BASIN WASHINGTON AND UMATILLA BASIN OREGON — Shipments (176-152-111, Includes exports 31-15-19) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Remaining supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH SOUTH TEXAS 2020 CROP Crossings — (153-249*-91) — Movement is expected to be about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market. (* revised)

SAN ANTONIO-WINTER GARDEN-LAREDO DISTRICT TEXAS — Shipments (41-57-46) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Unofficial prices fro Monday, June 01, 2020 Yellow Grano 50-pound sacks colossal 10.00-11.00, jumbo 9.00-10.00, medium 9.50-11.00; Red Globe Type 25-pound sacks jumbo 8.00-9.00, medium 7.75-9.00.

ARIZONA DISTRICT — Shipments (49-49-37) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CALIFORNIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (6-6-18) — Movement expected to increase as shippers receive more onions. FOB price report expected next week (June 8, 2020). First report.

CENTRAL WISCONSIN 2019 CROP — Shipments (10-9-6) — Movement expected to seasonally decrease. Too few open market sales to establish a market.

Peppers, bell

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings — (86-81-80) — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Trading yellow large fairly active at lower prices, others fairly active at slightly lower prices. Prices Yellow large lower, others slightly lower. GREENHOUSE 11 pound cartons Red jumbo and extra large 15.95-17.95, large 14.95-15.95; Yellow jumbo and extra large mostly 16.95-17.95, large 14.95; Orange jumbo and extra large 18.95-19.95, large 17.95. Red 1 1/9 bushel carton irregular size fair quality 18.95-20.95. Quality generally good.

COACHELLA VALLEY CALIFORNIA — Shipments (97-84-62) — Movement of Green expected to decrease seasonally, Red about the same. Trading early very active, late moderate. Prices Green slightly higher, Red lower. 1 1/9 bushel cartons Green extra large mostly 26.95-28.95, large 24.95-26.95; irregular size fair quality Green mostly 18.95-20.95, Red mostly 16.95-18.95. 1/2 bushel cartons Red extra large and large mostly 16.95. Quality generally good.

SOUTH GEORGIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (29-58-55) — Movement expected to increase. Trading Moderate. Prices Slightly Higher. 1 1/9 bushel cartons Green jumbo 22.35-22.85 extra large 22.35-22.85 fair quality 16.35-18.85 large 18.35-18.85. Quality generally good.

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CALIFORNIA — Harvest of Green expected to begin the week of May 31. Quality expected to be generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issued by June 5. FIRST REPORT.

Potatoes

U.S. — Shipments (1,722*-1,800*-1,482) — The top shipping states, in order, were Idaho, San Luis Valley Colorado, Columbia Basin Washington, California and Florida. (* revised)
UPPER VALLEY, TWIN FALLS-BURLEY DISTRICT IDAHO 2019 CROP — Shipments — (718-781-642, Includes exports 9-6-6) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Carton 50-70s active, others moderate. Prices Generally Unchanged. Russet Burbanks U.S. One baled 5-pound film bags non size A mostly 6.50-7.00; 50-pound sacks 40-70s mostly 12.00-13.00, 80s mostly 10.00, 90s 8.00-9.00, 100s mostly 7.00-7.50; U.S. Two 6 ounce minimum 4.00-5.00, 10 ounce minimum mostly 7.00-8.00.

SAN LUIS VALLEY COLORADO 2019 CROP — Shipments (224-243*-151, Includes exports 13-14*-12) — Movement expected to be about the same. Trading Fairly Slow. Prices Unchanged. U.S. One baled 5 10-lb film bags sz A 9.00-9.50, baled 10 5-lb film bags sz A mostly 10.00; 50 lb cartons 40-70s 15.00-16.00, 80s 14.00-15.00, 90-100s 12.00-14.00. (* revised)

COLUMBIA BASIN WASHINGTON AND UMATILLA BASIN OREGON 2019 CROP — Shipments (159-152-149, Includes exports 37-36-38) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading carton 50-70s active, others moderate. Prices carton 50-70s higher, carton 40s lower, others generally unchanged. Russet Norkotah U.S. One baled 10 pound film bags size A mostly 7.00-8.00, baled 5 pound film bags size A mostly 8.00-9.00; 50 pound cartons 40s mostly 11.00-12.00, 50-70s 13.00-14.00, 80s 11.00-13.00, 90s 10.00-12.00. 100s 9.00-11.00, U.S Two 50 pound sacks 10 ounce minimum mostly 6.00-7.00.

FLORIDA 2020 CROP — Shipments (141-126-111) — Movement expected to seasonally decrease. Trading Fairly Active. Prices U.S. One Round Red size A higher, others generally unchanged. Round Red U.S. One 50 pound cartons size A mostly 19.00-23.50, size B mostly 26.00-27.50, Creamers 3/4-1 5/8 inches mostly 30.50-35.75; 50 pound sacks size A mostly 17.50-21.75, size B mostly 24.50-24.75, U.S. Two 50 pound sacks size A mostly 12.75-16.50, size B mostly 16.75-18.75. Yellow Type U.S. One 50 pound cartons size A mostly 32.50, size B mostly 18.50; 50 pound sacks size A mostly 30.75, size B mostly 16.75.

CENTRAL WISCONSIN 2019 CROP — Shipments (109-107-104) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Fairly Slow. Prices Generally Unchanged. Russet Norkotah U.S. One baled 5 10-pound film bags size A mostly 10.00-11.00, baled 10 5-pound film bags size A mostly 11.00-12.00; 50 pound cartons 40s-70s mostly 18.00-19.00, 80s mostly 17.00-18.00, 90s mostly 14.00-15.00, 100s 13.00-14.00.

HEREFORD-HIGH PLAINS TEXAS — Shipments (62-69-69) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.
ARIZONA DISTRICT 2020 CROP — Shipments (22-29-27) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

MICHIGAN — Shipments (43*-45*-27) — Movement expected to continue seasonal decline. Trading Slow. Prices Unchanged. U.S. 1 size A baled 5 10-pound bags Russet Norkotah 11.50-12.50, baled 10 5-pound bags mostly 12.50-13.50. Supplies in few hands. (* revised)

NEBRASKA 2019 CROP — Shipments (36-31-18) — Movement expected to be about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

KLAMATH BASIN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DISTRICT — Shipments (22-14*-15) — Movement expected to remain about the same. supplies in too few hands to establish a market. (*revised)

MINNESOTA-NORTH DAKOTA (RED RIVER VALLEY) 2019 CROP — Shipments (15-12-10) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Remaining supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

NORTHERN COLORADO DISTRICT 2019 CROP — Shipments (7-0-0) — Movement expected decrease seasonally. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

CANADA (NEW BRUNSWICK) CROSSINGS THROUGH MAINE POINTS — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Trading Slow. Prices Unchanged. USOne/CDOne baled 10 5-pound film bags size A mostly 11.00, baled 5 10-pound film bags non-size A mostly 10.00.

COLUMBIA BASIN WASHINGTON AND UMATILLA BASIN OREGON 2019 CROP — Shipments (159-152-149, Includes exports 37-36-38) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading carton 50-70s active, others moderate. Prices carton 50-70s higher, carton 40s lower, others generally unchanged. Russet Norkotah U.S. One baled 10 pound film bags size A mostly 7.00-8.00, baled 5 pound film bags size A mostly 8.00-9.00; 50 pound cartons 40s mostly 11.00-12.00, 50-70s 13.00-14.00, 80s 11.00-13.00, 90s 10.00-12.00. 100s 9.00-11.00, U.S Two 50 pound sacks 10 ounce minimum mostly 6.00-7.00.

FLORIDA 2020 CROP — Shipments (141-126-111) — Movement expected to seasonally decrease. Trading Fairly Active. Prices U.S. One Round Red size A higher, others generally unchanged. Round Red U.S. One 50 pound cartons size A mostly 19.00-23.50, size B mostly 26.00-27.50, Creamers 3/4-1 5/8 inches mostly 30.50-35.75; 50 pound sacks size A mostly 17.50-21.75, size B mostly 24.50-24.75, U.S. Two 50 pound sacks size A mostly 12.75-16.50, size B mostly 16.75-18.75. Yellow Type U.S. One 50 pound cartons size A mostly 32.50, size B mostly 18.50; 50 pound sacks size A mostly 30.75, size B mostly 16.75.

CENTRAL WISCONSIN 2019 CROP — Shipments (109-107-104) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Fairly Slow. Prices Generally Unchanged. Russet Norkotah U.S. One baled 5 10-pound film bags size A mostly 10.00-11.00, baled 10 5-pound film bags size A mostly 11.00-12.00; 50 pound cartons 40s-70s mostly 18.00-19.00, 80s mostly 17.00-18.00, 90s mostly 14.00-15.00, 100s 13.00-14.00.

HEREFORD-HIGH PLAINS TEXAS — Shipments (62-69-69) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

ARIZONA DISTRICT 2020 CROP — Shipments (22-29-27) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

MICHIGAN — Shipments (43*-45*-27) — Movement expected to continue seasonal decline. Trading Slow. Prices Unchanged. U.S. 1 size A baled 5 10-pound bags Russet Norkotah 11.50-12.50, baled 10 5 pound bags mostly 12.50-13.50. Supplies in few hands. (* revised)

NEBRASKA 2019 CROP — Shipments (36-31-18) — Movement expected to be about the same. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

KLAMATH BASIN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DISTRICT — Shipments (22-14*-15) — Movement expected to remain about the same. supplies in too few hands to establish a market. (*revised)

MINNESOTA-NORTH DAKOTA (RED RIVER VALLEY) 2019 CROP — Shipments (15-12-10) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Remaining supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

NORTHERN COLORADO DISTRICT 2019 CROP — Shipments (7-0-0) — Movement expected decrease seasonally. Supplies in too few hands to establish a market.

CANADA (NEW BRUNSWICK) CROSSINGS THROUGH MAINE POINTS — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Trading Slow. Prices Unchanged. USOne/CDOne baled 10 5-pound film bags size A mostly 11.00, baled 5 10-pound film bags non-size A mostly 10.00.

Squash

SOUTH GEORGIA 2020 CROP — Shipments (20-24-17) — Movement expected to remain about the same. Trading Moderate. Prices Yellow Crookneck small lower, medium unchanged, others higher. ½ and 5/9 bushel cartons Zucchini small 14.35-16.85 medium 12.35-14.85, Yellow Straightneck small 16.35-16.85 medium 14.35-14.85; 3/4 bushel cartons Yellow Crookneck small 14.35-14.85 medium 8.35 8.85. Quality generally good.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (10-6-4) — Supply insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. LAST REPORT.

VIRGINIA — Shipments very light. Movement expected to increase as more growers begin harvesting. Current supplies are very light and insufficient to establish market. FIRST REPORT.

Squash, spaghetti

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings — (19-19-12) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading Moderate. Prices Generally Unchanged. 1 1/9 bushel cartons small mostly 12.95, medium mostly 16.95-18.95, large mostly 18.95. Quality generally good.

Squash, yellow straightneck

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings — (23-17-8) — Movement expected to decrease sharply as most shippers are finished for the season. 4/7 bushel cartons supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. Quality variable. Light and sporadic crossings expected to continue through June 6. LAST REPORT

Squash, zucchini

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings — (73-65-40) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading Moderate. Prices small-medium generally unchanged, other higher. 4/7 bushel cartons small and small-medium mostly 10.95, medium mostly 8.95. Quality variable.

Tomatoes

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings (158-155-152) — Movement expected to decrease slightly. Trading fairly active. Prices Generally Unchanged. Vine Ripes cartons 2 layer 4x4-4x5s mostly 16.95-18.95, 5x5s mostly 14.95; 25 pound cartons loose 4x5 -5x5 size mostly 13.95-14.95, 5x6 size mostly 12.95. Quality generally good. Most present shipments from prior booking and/or previous commitments.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (213-155-141) — Movement expected to remain about the same as most growers finish for the season. Trading Active. Prices Generally Unchanged. Extra services included. Mature Greens 85% U.S.One or better 5x6 size 17.95, 6x6 size 17.95, 6x7 size 17.95. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings — (78-49-83) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early very active, late moderate. Prices Generally Unchanged. Vine Ripes cartons 2 layers 4x4-4x5s 16.95-18.95, 5x5s 14.95-16.95, 5x6s mostly 12.95. Quality generally good.

U.S. SHIPPING POINTS — Shipments (30-29*-10) — Greenhouse. No prices reported. (* revised)

FLORIDA WEST DISTRICT AND SOUTH CAROLINA DISTRICT — Shipments (0-0-3) — Light harvest has begun and expected to continue for the next 5 days. Expect sufficient number of shippers for first F.O.B. within 7 days.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH OTAY MESA Crossings — (6-7*-2) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. Quality generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issue the week of June 14. (*revised)

CENTRAL DISTRICT CALIFORNIA — Harvest expected to begin the week of May 31. Most shippers expect to be fully underway the week of June 14. Quality expected to be generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issue the week of June 21.

Tomatoes, cherry

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH OTAY MESA Crossings — (3-3*-2) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. Quality generally good. The first F.O.B report is expected to be issue the week of June 14. (* revised)

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (3-2-1) — Movement expected to remain about the same as most growers finish for the season. Trading Active. Prices Generally Unchanged. Extra services included. Flats 12 1-pint basket with lids 16.95-17.95. Quality generally good.

Tomatoes, grape

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA Crossings— ( 17-15-15) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Available supplies very light. Trading Active. Prices Higher. Flats 12-1 pint containers with lids medium-large supplies 16.95. 20 pound cartons loose medium-large supplies insufficient to establish a market. Quality generally good.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (26-18-11) — Movement expected to remain about the same as most growers finish for the season. Trading Active. Prices Higher. including palletizing and cooling. Flats 12 1-pint containers with lids 15.95-16.95. 20 pound cartons loose 29.95-33.95. Quality generally good.

FLORIDA WEST AND SOUTH CAROLINA DISTRICT — Shipments (0-2-10) — Light harvest has begun and expected to continue for the next 5 days. Expect sufficient volume for first F.O.B. within 7 days.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings — (5-3-7) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early very active, late active. Prices pints higher, cartons slightly higher. Flats 12 1-pint containers with lids medium-large mostly 9.95-10.95 and 20 lb carton loose medium-large mostly 16.95-17.95. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH OTAY MESA Crossings — (#-#-0) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Most shippers expect to be fully underway the week of June 7. Supplies insufficient and in too few hands to establish a market. Quality generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issue the week of June 14. (# less than 50,000 lbs)

Tomatoes, plum

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH NOGALES ARIZONA — Crossings (267-162-189) — Movement expected to decrease seasonally. Trading early very active, late active. Prices much higher. 25 pound cartons loose Roma extra large and large mostly 16.95, medium 12.95-14.95. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH TEXAS Crossings — (99-89-105) — Movement expected about the same. Trading early fairly active, late active. Prices much higher. Roma 25 pound cartons loose extra large mostly 16.95-17.95, large mostly 13.95-14.95, medium 12.95-13.95. Quality generally good.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA — Shipments (64-58-45) — Movement expected to remain about the same as most growers finish for the season. Trading Active. Prices Higher. Extra services included. 25 pound cartons loose extra large 17.95, large 17.95, medium 17.95. Quality generally good.

MEXICO CROSSINGS THROUGH OTAY MESA — Crossings (51-39*-35) — Movement expected to increase seasonally. Trading Active. Prices 25 pound cartons loose Roma extra large and large mostly 18.95. Quality generally good. (* revised)

CENTRAL DISTRICT CALIFORNIA — Harvest expected to begin the week of June 7. Most shippers expect to be fully underway the week of June 14. Quality expected to be generally good. The first F.O.B. report is expected to be issue the week of June 21.

Top crops retain standings in Monterey County production

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:40:31 GMT

Monterey County’s top four most valuable crops remained unchanged from 2018 to 2019, led by leaf lettuce, which saw an increase of almost 15%, boosted by better pricing for romaine.

Overall, the county’s ag production value increased 3.5% in 2019, to almost $4.41 billion, according to the Monterey County 2019 Crop Report , issued by the county’s agricultural commission.

Of the top 10 crops, ranked by production value, seven categories are vegetables, with the exception being strawberries, in the No. 2 slot again, and wine grapes and nursery products. All 10 crops are the same crops from the 2018 list.

Strawberries saw an increase of about 5%, with a bump of more than $34 million, to $732.76 million, mostly due to improved fresh strawberry prices, according to the report.

Head lettuce, Monterey County’s third-most valuable crop, increased almost 12% to $514.09 million. Increased production and higher average prices for carton-packed lettuce are the main reasons for the increase, according to the report.

Overall, vegetable crops saw an increased production value in 2019 of about $228 million, at just under $3.1 billion. The fruits and nuts category dropped about $15.7 million in value to $1.03 billion, according to the report, but that includes a 25% drop in wine grape crop value. Dropping wine grapes from the category gives fruit and nuts a $46 million (5.7%) boost from 2018 to 2019.

Monterey County’s top crop values, followed by 2019 and 2018 rankings, are:

Leaf lettuce : $840.56 million, 1/1;
Strawberries : $732.76 million, 2/2;
Head Lettuce : $514.09 million, 3/3;
Broccoli : $457.39 million, 4/4;
Cauliflower $212.38 million, 5/6;
Misc. vegetables: $196.84 million, 6/7;
Celery $186.39 million, 7/9
Wine Grapes: $186.1 million; 8/5
Nursery: $143.98 million, 9/8; and
Spinach : $127.12 million, 10/10.

LGMAs adopt numerous changes on water, sanitation

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:44:34 GMT

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has made more than 50 changes to rules as the group continues a review of its practices following E. coli outbreaks in recent years.

The Arizona LGMA has made similar changes, according to a news release.

The LGMA established subcommittees this year to address specific parts of the food safety process, and the ones for farm water use and field/equipment sanitation have met numerous times in recent months, according to CEO Scott Horsfall. They focused on new research, examine outbreak findings and gather input from food safety experts, he said in the release.

Many of the changes approved by the LGMA board recently strengthen existing rules, several substantive changes have been made, according to the release.

Those changes include:

Requirements to ensure the safety of water used during overhead application of pesticides and crop protection materials, similar to rules added last year that require open water sources — such as a canal or reservoir — applied via overhead application must be treated to eliminate pathogens during the previous 21 days before harvest;
Added regular water quality tests and sample collecting requirements throughout irrigation systems;
Addressed the risk of water applied via furrow irrigation from coming into contact with any edible portion of leafy greens;
Updated practices for cleaning harvest equipment, containers, tools and bathroom facilities in and near leafy greens fields; and
Preventing the cut end of leafy greens from coming into contact with the ground during harvest.

“The LGMA is committed to strengthening required food safety practices throughout our processes,” Dan Sutton, California LGMA chairman and general manager of Pismo-Oceano Vegetable Exchange in San Luis Obispo County. “We are doing everything possible on our farms to prevent future foodborne illness outbreaks.”

The LGMA will be educating members on how to comply with the new standards.

Subcommittees on soils amendments/inputs and adjacent lands are working on more changes to LGMA standards. The group is interested in adjacent lands that have livestock, and how to ensure E. coli isn’t transferred to crops via water or other means.

Related stories:

LGMA subcommittee looks at land near leafy greens fields

California leafy greens growers work to prevent outbreaks

LGMA considers water standard updates, soil amendments next

California LGMA survey looks at members’ traceability plans

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:46:34 GMT

Members of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, who grow an overwhelming majority of the lettuce and other leafy greens in the state, and 80% of the U.S. lettuce, say they’re capable of quickly tracking recalled products.

The LGMA conducted a survey of members , who are required by the group’s bylaws to have a system to trace back to the field from which it originated to the customer who bought it from the grower, a one-step forward, one-step back traceability model.

“Verification that a traceback system is in place happens every time an LGMA member is audited by the government, which occurs about five times per year under our program,” Scott Horsfall, CEO of the California LGMA, said in a news release. “We can say with confidence that 100% of our members have a traceback system in place.”

The survey was designed to help the group better understand how growers’ traceback systems are helping health and regulatory agencies in outbreak investigations, according to the release — and if additional requirements could improve the speed/accuracy in tracking product in future outbreak.

Even before the Food and Drug Administration made updating tracking technology in the industry a priority of its New Era of Smarter Food Safety, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb noted that investigations into the source of romaine lettuce tainted with E. coli would benefit from increased technology in the grower-shipper community.

Gottlieb noted that investigators were handed printed records for traceability verification, and even hand-written notes, which prolonged the investigation.
Fifty-two of the 93 LGMA growers responded to the survey, representing a cross-section of processors, growers and shippers of varying sizes.

According to the LGMA survey, 15% of LGMA member still use paper-based tracking systems.

“We’ve heard reports from government investigators that too many traceback systems involve antiquated paper-based systems,” Horsfall said in the release. “We did find that some (15%) of our members use paper-based systems, but the majority are using electronic systems.”

Horsfall said it’s important to note that all respondents reported being able to trace back to a field within two hours, regardless of systems they use.
Sixty-three percent of respondents use the voluntary Produce Traceability Initiative for labeling and traceback, he said.

“What we can conclude from this survey is that LGMA members are collecting detailed information through their traceback systems.” Horsfall said in the release. “But, in practice, traceback systems within the supply chain are not working as quickly as needed.”

The LGMA and industry needs to work with the FDA to determine how traceback systems at the grower-shipper level can better assist in investigations, he said.

Horsfall said the LGMA supports an ongoing project coordinated by several food industry associations including United Fresh Produce Association and the Produce Marketing Association to examine and test traceback capabilities throughout the supply chain.

The Leafy Greens Traceability Pilot involves the United Fresh Produce Association , Produce Marketing Association and others is looking at traceback capabilities in the supply chain.

Jennifer McEntire, senior vice president of food safety and technology at United Fresh, said in the release the pilot will help find what information can be quickly shared in a format that allows it to connect the supply chain.

“The insights from the pilots will aid in more quickly and effectively locating the source of contamination during an actual outbreak,” she said in the release.

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Arizona LGMA updates water metrics prior to Yuma season

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:46:30 GMT

As the fall/winter growing season in Yuma, Ariz., approaches, the Arizona Leafy Green Marketing Agreement has approved new water and field metrics.

The LGMA’s Technical Subcommittee work with its sister organization, the California LGMA, in updating the changes to food safety guidelines for lettuce and other leafy greens, according to a news release from the Arizona organization.

“The Arizona (LGMA) remains committed to ensuring that practices and metrics reflect our current scientific knowledge and contribute to continuous improvement in our food safety systems,” Vicki-Lynne Scott, technical assistant for the Arizona LGMA, said in the release.

As with recent changes to the California LGMA standards, Arizona growers have enhanced standards for water sampling and sanitation of field equipment.

Changes to the metrics for water affect everything from furrow irrigation to drip tape and management of irrigation water systems, according to the release.

The changes became effective Aug. 18. The seven members of the Arizona LGMA’s technical subcommittee met 11 times to redefine the best practices for water and field sanitation standards, according to the release.

The two groups have reviewed and updated standards several times in recent years as leafy greens, primarily romaine lettuce, have been linked to E. coli outbreaks.

Related stories:

Leafy greens growers prepare for Yuma, beef up safety measures

LGMAs adopt numerous changes on water, sanitation

LGMA charts course to achieve food safety goals

Costly and complicated rules just beginning for romaine

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:48:55 GMT

With added food safety compliance costs of perhaps $1 to $2 per carton, the complications are just beginning for California Salinas Valley romaine shippers and Canadian importers.

Starting Oct. 7 and continuing to Dec. 31, the Canadian Food Inspection (CFIA) Agency requires that romaine lettuce from four counties in California’s Salinas Valley be tested for E. coli.

The Canadian agency will require importers to either prove that romaine is not from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey counties, or provide an official certificate of analysis from an accredited laboratory confirming the lettuce has below-detectable levels of E. coli before it is distributed in Canada, according to a news release.

Testing can be done in the U.S. or in Canada, according to the CFIA.

Produce associations in the two countries have collaborated on a continuously updated document answering questions on the import requirements for U.S. romaine.

The document was prepared by the Arizona and California Leafy Green Marketing Agreements, the Canadian Horticultural Council, the CPMA, the PMA, United Fresh and Western Growers

The testing is not related to any current outbreak. Food safety investigations by Canadian and U.S. authorities identified Salinas Valley romaine as a recurring source of E. coli outbreaks from 2016-19, according to the release.

New rules

Canadian receivers have been sourcing from non-Salinas growing regions as much as they can, said Leonard Jang, vice president and general manager for Van Whole Produce Ltd . Vancouver, British Columbia.

“We are trying to understand (the import requirements) to make sure that we’re in compliance with the regulations, and we’re talking to the shippers and seeing what they think about it,” Jang said.
While buyers in Canada are pulling product from some local deals, production there will end and buyers will have to seek product from California.

Jang said receivers will likely want testing for E. coli to be done at the shipping point, and not in Canada.

If the product is tested in Canada and fails, Jang said importers would be saddled with disposing of the load and would have sunk money into transporting the romaine without being able to sell it.
One shipper said the rules require a lot of communication with Canadian customers about how to handle the product and satisfy the protocol.

“Everyone’s goals are to move product through the system as quickly as possible, from field to consumer,” said Robert Verloop, chief operating officer for Coastline Family Farms , Inc., Salinas, Calif.

Verloop said the CFIA’s plan was not put together with very much industry engagement. “What is required is a little more industry interaction to come up with a workable plan based on the parameters of what we do,” Verloop said Oct. 8. For example, if product is tested for E. coli and then held until it is cleared, extra cooling space is required.

Testing protocols are also subject to different interpretations, he said.

“There are a lot of questions that resulted both on our side as a grower-shipper, but also on the receiving side, because they’re trying to figure out how they can continue to have a continuous flow of romaine coming to their stores,” he said.

The two-day delay the implementation of the regulation, from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, allowed some of the protocol to be tested.

“We’re working on a moment-to-moment basis with our customers to make sure that we’ve covered all the bases for both sides,” Verloop said.

Verloop said Coastline does pre-harvest food safety testing of romaine, but the CFIA program requires more samples and greater costs.

“Their protocol is probably four times more sampling than what we normally would do,” he said. He noted staff has to break apart the shipment and retrieve representative samples. That could mean taking samples out of 60 boxes, with each of the samples put in a separate bag.

If the sample comes from a package of romaine hearts, that bag will be removed from the load because romaine hearts are in a consumer pack and the consumer would be shorted if the sample was removed from the pack.

With COVID-19 restrictions in place on farms and in packinghouses, Verloop said the new romaine requirements could not have come at a worse time.

“I know the trade associations here in the U.S. and Canada are working with the CFIA to try to make this system as efficient as possible, but I’m hoping we can find a way to reduce costs because this just adds a tremendous amount to the cost of goods for our Canadian consumers,” he said,

Verloop estimated that the added costs could range from $1 to $2 per carton. “It is hard to put an exact cost to it because it’s so dependent on the scope of the order, but it is not cheap, and eventually those costs have to be recovered.”

Verloop hopes for adjustments to the new rules.

“I think we can demonstrate other testing protocols that are just as reassuring and effective and efficient, but do not require the intensity that’s behind this,” he said, noting that CPMA is involved in helping to create an industry working group to engage with health officials.

Romaine shipments from some farms in the Salinas region will continue all the way through Thanksgiving, though farms in Huron and Yuma, Ariz., will begin in coming weeks.

Verloop said some Salinas shippers with only a few weeks left in their season have decided they can’t make the investment to ship to Canada.

The import requirements for romaine, romaine hearts and romaine in salad blends will change the dynamics of the market and raise costs for Canada, he said.

“I don’t think that’s the intent of CFIA,” he said. “They may not have understood the downstream implications to their rigid testing protocol, but that why we have working groups and trade associations to help improve that dialogue,” he said.

Verloop said he hopes that the cooperation and collaboration that the U.S. industry largely enjoys with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be expanded to include Canadian public health officials.

“Our two economies on the produce side are so heavily intertwined, that it would only make sense that we work collaboratively to find the common ground that is good for the industry, good for importers, retailers, food service operators and for the consumers,” he said.

Verloop said he believes the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement safety standards are strong.

“To have (the requirements) being (introduced) on a wholesale basis like this, with a lack of clarity and a lack of time to react to it, the net result is a lot of confusion and a lot of distortion and nobody wants that,” he said. “We would like to have an opportunity to demonstrate from a scientific standpoint, why the plant and the plans that are the protocols that we have in place we think are sufficient. So, maybe coming out of this, it will give us an opportunity to start having that kind of a dialogue more directly with (Canadian officials). And I have to hope that we can turn this around to be a positive at some point.”

The Packer Romaine’s Coverage

The Packer’s Food Safety Coverage

Canadian romaine requirement could be a costly precedent

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:48:55 GMT

New Canadian food safety import requirements for U.S. romaine lettuce could cost the Canadian industry between $11 million and $13 million per week, and the mandate to test Salinas Valley romaine for E. coli add to costs for California shippers.

Even more concerning, industry leaders say, is the precedent the testing mandate will have on future trade between the two countries.

“CPMA will continue to work with both industry and government to endeavor to mitigate this impact as much as possible; our goal is to avoid a similar situation as we all move forward,” said Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association .

Jane Proctor, vice president of policy and issue management for CPMA, said CPMA is developing a task force made up of approximately 10 industry food safety experts from both Canada and the U.S.

“The intended task is to review the CFIA requirements for romaine imports from the U.S., as currently written, to identify issues including with sampling and testing as included in the requirements, including how the current requirements will affect the supply chain,” Proctor said.

The task force will also provide suggestions back to CFIA on how to make the procedure workable for industry, she said in an e-mail Oct. 9.

Although the FDA and the CFIA are in continued discussions on the romaine import regulations, the requirements remain in place, according to a public affairs spokesperson for the CFIA in an Oct. 9 e-mail.

Lemaire said new water measures put in place by the Arizona and California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements have already raised the bar for food safety of romaine this year.

“We’re very confident that Canadians would have been able to enjoy romaine in a safe way, but the unintended consequences of putting the testing in place means (some) shippers deciding not to ship and shortages potentially occurring in the market because of those decisions,” he said.

CPMA estimates a drop of $11 million to $13 million in trade a week until production shifts away from the Central Coast region in California.

California viewpoint

The hope among shippers is that something can be done to change the Canadian import rules, said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the California LGMA .

“It is just going to be very difficult to comply.”

Horsfall said one industry concern is that the Canadian action could be a precedent that might be used for other commodities.

“I think it’s an issue that should be of concern to people because these things have to be done in a way that makes sense, both scientifically and practically,” he said.

“The imposition of this type of requirement at the last minute is really problematic.”

He said Canada’s post-harvest E. coli testing requirement hasn’t proven to be an effective way to protect consumers in the past.

“You just can’t test your way to food safety,” Horsfall said, citing the greater importance of prevention measures on the farm and in facilities.

“I think the hope is that, through discussions and through collaboration with the two governments, that something a little more reasonable can be accomplished,” he said. “Certainly, for October and November, you are talking about a lot of romaine (shipments) that potentially aren’t going to go to Canada.”

Issues like cold storage, shelf life and transportation needs complicate Canada’s testing requirement, said De Ann Davis, senior vice president of science at Irvine, Calif.-based Western Growers .
Testing for E. coli on romaine may take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, she said.

“So that is two days of cold storage space that’s needed,” she said, in addition to the needs of other orders and the other romaine that is associated with that harvest lot.

“I think the concern is that if this is a precedent set by the Canadian government, and the way that they want to manage romaine from a longer-term standpoint, then there will be economic impact,” she said. “People will be more conservative in planting and it will impact trade.”

Davis said Western Growers has concerns about the seasonal transition between Salinas and desert growing regions next March and whether CFIA will put in place another testing requirement.
“And what about other crops? Leafy greens is not alone in terms of recent outbreaks,” she said.

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FDA says E. coli outbreaks have strains related to past romaine events

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:08:00 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating two E. coli outbreaks, and although their origin is unknown, the strains are genetically related to separate outbreaks in 2018 and 2019 that were traced to romaine lettuce.

“There is no information currently to indicate that people should avoid any specific food,” Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said in an Oct. 28 news release.

The FDA released information on the E.coli O157:H7 outbreaks:

Twenty-three cases are from an E. coli strain related to a 2019 outbreak traced to romaine in the California Central Coast (Salinas) region ; and
Twenty-one cases, and one death, is from an E. coli strain related to a 2018 outbreak linked to romaine and “environmental isolates” from the Yuma, Ariz., area .

“We do not know what food is causing people to get sick or whether it involves an FDA-regulated food product,” Yiannas said in the release. “However, we have seen similar recurring, emerging or persistent strains of E. coli in recent outbreaks.

“E. coli O157:H7 can contaminate many foods, and we cannot assume that the current outbreaks are linked to historically associated foods like romaine and other leafy greens,” he said in the release.

The FDA is committed to transparency and early communication, he said, and is working to include a new resource on its website to provide early updates on investigations.

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Vertical farm Kalera continues expansion plans for 2021

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 18:25:34 GMT

Hydroponic vertical farming company Kalera, Orlando, Fla., is planning to begin construction on a production facility in Seattle in 2021, which joins a growing list of expansions the company plans next year.

The company previously announced plans to open facilities in Atlanta, Houston and Denver next year.

With the Seattle operation, the company will extend its reach coast to coast, according to a news release, with plans to supply retailers, restaurants, theme parks and airports.

The growth is fueled by more than $150 million in fundraising in 2020.

“Thanks in part to our optimized design processes, we have been able to extend into new markets at an extremely quick rate,” CEO Daniel Malechuk said in the release. “Soon, customers from Orlando to Seattle will have access to fresh, locally-grown Kalera greens, every day of the year, regardless of weather, wildfires, or other natural disasters.”

The company has two growing facilities in Orlando.

Malechuk said Kalera operates with “an incredibly efficient growing method.”

“Because of this, we’ve been able to maintain conventional pricing and partnerships with large national chains, making our produce affordable and accessible,” he said in the release. “With our expansion, we’ll only be making our high-quality produce more accessible as we spread across the country.”

The company’s living lettuce line includes baby romaine , red oak leaf lettuce , butter lettuce, frisée and Kalera Krunch.

Arizona LGMA adopts new water metrics

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:13:40 GMT

The Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has adopted more stringent water quality metrics in preparation for the coming season.

The metrics, adopted in late August, are similar to those approved by the California LGMA in April, but with changes to “better address the practicality of using surface water, setting the highest produce industry standards for water,” according to a news release from the Arizona group.

“These new water metrics are expected to be particularly helpful in facilitating data collection for growers to better identify potential risks,” according to the release. “Having these answers will allow for faster response and execution of mitigation efforts.”

California’s water quality testing changes requires growers to:

Review water system, sources, storage and irrigation methods;
Conduct water testing and routinely monitor sources and systems; and
Treat water if necessary (surface water for overhead irrigation 21 days before harvest must be sanitized).

“We have spent countless hours going over and reviewing every aspect of our industry,” Vicki-Lynne Scott, technical assistant, said in the release. “It’s an ongoing effort, but we are continuing a proud heritage of growing and distributing quality leafy greens to customers throughout the U.S.”

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FDA sets meeting on New Era of Smarter Food Safety

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:14:06 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration will have a public meeting to discuss its New Era of Smarter Food Safety .

The all-day meeting will be Oct. 21 at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel in Rockville, Md. Topics of breakout sessions will include traceability, smarter tools for prevention, evolving business models and retail food safety, according to a news release.

The FDA is seeking a “blueprint” for the New Era program.

“We intend for the strategic plan to outline how this new approach will address public health challenges, including being able to trace sources of contaminated foods and using new predictive analytics tools like artificial intelligence to assess risks and prioritize the agency’s work and resources,” according to the FDA release.

Comments from the meeting, and submissions to the Federal Register , will help shape the blueprint.

In an interview on the New Era program on the FDA’s website, the agency’s Frank Yiannas, deputy commissioner for Food Policy and Response, said there is new technology that can help trace items through the food supply chain.

“These include blockchain, sensor technology, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence to create a more digital, traceable, and safer food system,” he said in the online interview. “This new approach creates shared value for all stakeholders — farmers, food producers, regulators, consumers and the planet.”

The FDA announced plans for its food safety campaign in late April following E. coli outbreaks traced to California and Arizona leafy greens. During investigations, traceability became problematic due to lack of digital records or no record-keeping at all.

“The emergence of blockchain technology, because of its distributed and decentralized nature that aligns more closely with a decentralized and distributed food system, has enabled food system stakeholders to imagine being able to have full end-to-end traceability,” Yiannas said in the interview. “An ability to deliver accurate, real-time information about food, how it’s produced, and how it flows from farm to table is a game-changer for food safety.”

The public meeting registration is online .

More information, including deadlines for submitting requests to comments at the meeting are on the FDA website .

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Fresh Express rolls out ‘restaurant-inspired’ salad bowls

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:58 GMT

Fresh Express , Orlando, Fla., has six new Gourmet Kit Salads Bowls launching in select markets.

The salads, inspired by entrée salads served at restaurants across the U.S., will be available in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Central and Southern U.S., according to a news release.

The bowls tap into a number of food trends, according to Fresh Express vice president of marketing & innovation Fabian Pereira, including healthy eating, restaurant-inspired and affordability.

“We listened to consumer needs and optimized the package and product design,” Pereira said in the release. “Our culinary team worked with the best chefs to address this by designing high-end restaurant salads with hand selected, chef-crafted ingredients in a convenient ready-to-eat bowl that salad lovers can enjoy anywhere, anytime.”

The company’s packaging engineers worked with consumers to develop packaging that displays the ingredients but also allows consumers to shake the container to distribute the dressing.

The salad kits are:

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad: parmesan herb grilled chicken breast meat, garlic pita chips, shredded parmesan cheese, slivered almonds, carrots , grape tomatoes , kale, romaine and Greek Caesar dressing.
Pearl Mozzarella Caprese: pearl mozzarella cheese, diced prosciutto, grape tomatoes, spring mix and balsamic vinaigrette.
Buffalo Chicken: buffalo marinated grilled chicken breast, spring mix, red pepper crisps, blue cheese, multigrain crackers and bacon buffalo ranch dressing.
Chimichurri Grilled Chicken: red cabbage , queso fresco (cheese), crinkle-cut radishes, chimichurri grilled chicken breast, corn kernels, baby arugula, baby spinach and chimichurri vinaigrette dressing.
Chef Salad: romaine, shredded carrots, crumbled hard-boiled eggs, red cabbage, grape tomatoes, shredded swiss cheese, capicola and smoked turkey and ham, with creamy bacon ranch dressing.
Parmesan cheese crisp: baked Parmesan cheese crisps, farro and red pepper crisps, Genoa salami, rashishes and spring mix with a white wine lemon vinaigrette.

The salads will be available in the select regions starting Sept. 18, according to the news release, with a suggested retail price of $4.99.

FDA’s New Era of Food Safety meeting, webcast, reach capacity

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:17:03 GMT

A meeting designed to shed light on the Food and Drug Administration’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative is so popular that no spots are available, and the webcast of the meeting has also hit the maximum number allowed.

The 300 spaces at the meeting site, the Washington DC/Rockville Hotel Rockville, Md., filled up, and the webcast capacity of 1,000 participants is also full, according to a spokesman for Sidem LLC, and event planning company contracted by the FDA for the meeting. The company was accepting registrations for a webcast waiting list in case some participants do not “attend” the webcast.

The FDA scheduled the Oct. 21 meeting to discuss traceability, smarter prevention tools, evolving business models and other food safety issues in the wake of foodborne illness outbreaks, including E. coli outbreaks from leafy greens that exposed shortfalls in traceability, among other things.

In a question-and-answer session on the FDA website , Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said new technology is key to investigating the source of outbreaks, using tools including blockchain, sensor technology, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

But smarter food safety is more than that, Yiannas said.

“It’s about leadership and creativity,” he said in the Q&A. “It’s also about working within and outside of FDA to foster a food safety culture that transcends borders between the public and private sector.”

The meeting is at the Although the FDA is not accepting any more in-person or webcast registrations, the agency plans to release a transcript of the meeting and all slides used in presentations on its website — but that will take up to six weeks.

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FDA: Do not eat Salinas romaine, E. coli traceback continues

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:20:22 GMT

As the number of E. coli cases linked to romaine has risen to 40, federal health and regulatory officials are warning consumers not to eat romaine lettuce originating from Salinas, Calif., and the Food and Drug Administration has asked the industry to stop shipments from there.

The FDA issued a similar advisory days before Thanksgiving 2018 covering all romaine, but the current warning involves only product grown and Salinas, as well as products included in a Nov. 21 recall by Missa Bay.

“At this stage in the investigation, the most efficient way to ensure that contaminated romaine is off the market would be for industry to voluntarily withdraw product grown in Salinas, and to withhold distribution of Salinas romaine for the remainder of the growing season in Salinas,” according to a Nov. 22 notice from the FDA.

FDA investigators are in Salinas following the outbreak, which as of Nov. 22 included 40 cases in 16 states; 28 people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases were reported from Sept. 24. to Nov. 10.

Investigators have yet to pinpoint a source. The FDA said it doesn’t have enough traceback information to identify a specific source that would allow it “to request a targeted recall from specific growers.”

But epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback evidence has led the FDA, CDC and state health agencies to suspect romaine lettuce from the Salinas area as a likely source.

Genetic analysis of the E. coli O157:H7 strains from patients in the current outbreak are similar to those from the fall 2017 and fall 2018 in the U.S. and Canada. In the 2017 outbreak, Canadian officials named romaine as the source, while U.S. named leafy greens, not specifically romaine.

An outcome of the November 2018 E. coli outbreak was the industry’s voluntary acceptance of labeling romaine products with growing region and harvested-by dates. The Nov. 22 notice from FDA advises consumers to throw away or return romaine products if “Salinas” is on the label, or if there is no harvest area listed.

However, if the label indicates it is hydroponic or greenhouse-grown, the FDA advises it is safe to eat. The 2018 FDA advisory covered all romaine, regardless of where it was grown or if it was field or indoor grown, bringing a backlash from greenhouse/indoor growers.

“At this time, romaine lettuce that was harvested outside of the Salinas region has not been implicated in this outbreak investigation,” according to the FDA. “Hydroponically- and greenhouse-grown romaine, which is voluntarily labeled as ‘indoor grown,’ from any region does not appear to be related to the current outbreak.”

If a restaurant or retailer is unable to determine where romaine from a menu item or salad bar is from, consumers should not eat it, according to the FDA advisory.

According to the Romaine Task Force, convened in the wake of the 2018 outbreak, the Salinas growing region includes Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey counties.

The investigation focused on romaine after the Maryland Department of Health tested an unopened Ready Pac Foods Bistro Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics Caesar Salad that had been purchased by one of the patients with E. coli, and found the pathogen on romaine in the salad.

The states, and how many patients from each one in the outbreak, are: Arizona, 2; California, 4; Colorado, 1; Idaho, 3; Illinois, 1; Maryland, 3; Michigan, 1; Minnesota, 1; Montana, 1; New Jersey, 1; New Mexico, 2; Ohio, 5; Pennsylvania, 3; Virginia, 1; Washington, 1; and Wisconsin, 10.

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Bill seeks FDA access to animal operations during outbreaks

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:20:22 GMT

(UPDATED Nov. 27) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, has introduced a bill designed to allow regulators easier access to animal farms during investigations into the source of foodborne illness outbreaks.

The Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2019, introduced on Nov. 21, would allow the Food and Drug Administration the authority to conduct microbial sampling on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) “as necessary to facilitate a foodborne illness outbreak investigation, determine the root cause of an outbreak of foodborne illness, or address other public health needs,” according to a description of the bill on congress.gov. A full text of the bill is not yet available.

Consumer groups, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Reports, welcomed the bill.
Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who is chairwoman of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, plans to introduce a similar bill in the House, according to a news release from the CSPI.

“Including animal farms as part of the outbreak investigation is critical because farm animals carry germs that can contaminate not just our meat and poultry, but also our fresh fruits and vegetables,” according to the CSPI release. “Investigators must have the ability to track outbreaks back to the farm so we can understand how these pathogens move through the food system, which is ultimately the key to preventing future outbreaks.”

Gillibrand introduced the bill as the FDA was investigating another E. coli outbreak linked to romaine ; on the following day, the regulatory agency advised consumers not to eat romaine lettuce grown in California.

The industry’s interest in CAFOs were heightened following a spring 2018 E. coli outbreak linked to romaine from Yuma, Ariz. In that outbreak, in which five people died, investigators found E. coli in a water canal that passed by a 100,000-head CAFO. The FDA was unable to determine how the pathogen as transferred to the lettuce.

In response, the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements in California and Arizona increased buffer zones. The Arizona LGMA tripled the zone to 1,200 feet. The California LGMA did the same, but CAFOs of 80,000 or more call for a one-mile buffer zone.

The CSPI release said federal investigators were limited in their ability to test for pathogens at the Yuma-area cattle operation following the outbreak. The Packer was unable to immediately verify the details with the FDA or trade organizations that have been involved in food safety efforts.

Jennifer McEntire, vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association, said the industry knows that E. coli O157:H7 comes from ruminant animals such as cattle.

“There are many possible vectors and pathways through which crops can be contaminated,” McEntire said an e-mail. “The leafy greens industry has made great progress to disrupt those vectors, for example, by treating irrigation water under some situations. It would be really useful to determine the origin of these pathogens and take a ‘one health’ approach, looking at each opportunity to mitigate risks in a complex ecosystem, whether under the grower’s control or not.”

McEntire included a link to the Center for Disease Control and Preventions’ One Health website page .

Note on update: This article includes comments from Jennifer McEntire of the United Fresh Produce Association.

Related stories:

FDA: Do not eat Salinas romaine, E. coli traceback continues

Romaine Task force calls for action, further study of outbreak causes

California LGMA adopts changes after E. coli outbreak

Romaine and E. coli is ghost of Thanksgiving past

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:20:22 GMT

Beyond the painful toll on those who have been stricken, the tragedy is that the association between romaine lettuce and a foodborne outbreak linked to the E. coli pathogen has become predictable.

Take social media, for example. Here were a few tweets the morning of Nov. 25:
From consumers:

Bro Romaine lettuce tries to murder us every two months;
AGAIN with the romaine?!
How many more e coli romaine lettuce outbreaks do we need to have before we ban romaine all together??

A tweet from a school district:

Due to the recent recall of romaine lettuce in the Salinas California area, PLSD Food Service Department is being proactive and pulling all lettuce and leafy green products Monday and Tuesday, November 25th and 26th. We wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Here is what the FDA said in a “recommendation” Nov. 22:

FDA, CDC, and state health authorities are investigating an outbreak of illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 in the United States. Epidemiologic, laboratory, and traceback evidence indicates that romaine lettuce from the Salinas, California growing region is a likely source of this outbreak. Consumers should not eat romaine lettuce harvested from Salinas, California.

This year’s outbreak is different in one important respect:

New labeling measures are in place to identify where romaine is grown, which in theory should limit the damage to the category while safeguarding the health of consumers.

From The Packer’s coverage in late November last year, when the new labeling system was put in place:

The Food and Drug Administration says romaine lettuce is now safe to eat following the “purge” of product on the market, and will allow supplies to resume, after grower-shippers agreed to new labeling standards that will include where the lettuce is grown.

The agreement, negotiated by romaine grower-shippers, processors and industry associations, will be the new standard for romaine packed in the U.S. The standards follow an E. coli outbreak linked to 43 illnesses in the U.S. and 22 in Canada, as of Nov. 26.

“A number of produce associations also have agreed to support this initiative and are recommending that all industry members throughout the supply chain follow this same labeling program,” according to the United Fresh Produce Association, in an e-mail alert to members Nov. 26 sent several hours before the FDA released a statement lifting the advisory that virtually banned romaine in the U.S.

According to the FDA statement, the new labels are voluntary, but its updated message to consumers suggests it’s against shippers’ interest to forego the label:

“Based on discussions with major producers and distributors, romaine lettuce entering the market will now be labeled with a harvest location and a harvest date,” according to the FDA. “Romaine lettuce entering the market can also be labeled as being hydroponically or greenhouse grown. If it does not have this information, you should not eat or use it.”

However, the labeling of romaine by region may not have the intended effect. In a Nov. 23 media alert, Consumer Reports said this:

The FDA is currently advising consumers to avoid lettuce grown in Salinas, and directing them to read the labels on the lettuce they buy. According to the FDA, lettuce grown in other areas does not appear to be linked to the current outbreak. Hydroponic or greenhouse lettuce also does not seem to be involved. But CR’s experts think it is prudent and less confusing for consumers to avoid romaine altogether, especially because romaine is also sold unpackaged and in restaurants, and customers can’t always be sure of the origin that lettuce. “Much of the romaine lettuce on the market at this time of year is from Salinas,” says James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. “Last year, also right before Thanksgiving, there was an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, and the FDA and the CDC warned people against eating any romaine lettuce and called on stores and restaurants to stop selling it.” When the growing area labels were first introduced, CR food safety experts found that as a warning system for consumers to protect themselves in real time, the program had flaws, and that stronger measures would be needed to keep consumers safe. The system is unrealistic, Rogers says, because it relies on shoppers knowing there has been an outbreak, remembering its origin, and also knowing to look for label. Even so, Rogers says it is safer in the midst of a rapidly changing outbreak to simply forgo all raw romaine for now, especially for people who are vulnerable to food poisoning and its effects, meaning the elderly and very young and pregnant women. “If the package is clearly marked with the growing area and it is not Salinas, or you can find hydroponic or greenhouse-grown romaine—which wouldn’t be affected, that’s fine,” says Rogers. But we think that consumers will not find it so easy to make that determination, and we would rather see them play it safe and choose other types of lettuce right now.”

Consumer Reports also states that what the industry has done is not enough. More from the CR Nov. 23 media alert:

How the romaine involved in this outbreak became contaminated isn’t known, but in past outbreaks, the likely source was irrigation water tainted with E. coli-containing cattle feces from a nearby cattle operation. According to a release issued by the LGMA regarding this outbreak: “A very stringent set of food safety practices is enforced on leafy greens farms through the LGMA system. The role of the LGMA is to verify through government inspection that leafy greens producers are following a set of food safety practices on the farm. Each LGMA member is subject to 4 to 5 on-farm audits each year that are conducted by government officials.” But CR experts note that clearly it isn’t enough. “This latest outbreak is an urgent reminder that the FDA and food companies must take tougher action to protect the public,” said Michael Hansen, Ph.D. senior scientist at Consumer Reports. “The FDA should immediately require growers to abide by strong standards to ensure irrigation water is safe and sanitary. It’s also critical for the FDA to implement mandatory farm-to-fork industry recordkeeping requirements so it can quickly identify the source of foodborne illness outbreaks.” Consumer Reports supports a bill introduced just this week, the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act, that would give the FDA the power to inspect animal feedlots for pathogens that may be triggering outbreaks.

TK: How will all of this play out in the market? One broker told me Nov. 25 that the demand was still brisk for romaine from Yuma, with naked romaine from $12 to $21 per carton and romaine hearts from $21 to $30.

In another echo of last year, the distinction between a recall notice and consumer advice is critical. Because the FDA issued a consumer recommendation/ advisory not to eat romaine lettuce from Salinas instead of issuing a recall, receivers are not able to get credit from shippers on the romaine they have to dump, the broker said. Receivers are understandably not happy, he said. In fact, no one is happy now.

The Packer’s Chris Koger has been doing a great job covering the story, and here are a few of the links to his coverage:

Ready Pac brand processor recalls products with romaine

Bill seeks FDA access to animal operations during outbreaks

FDA: Do not eat Salinas romaine, E. coli traceback continues

Lettuce market still bullish - for now

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:20:13 GMT

How much longer will lettuce prices stay elevated?

Here are a couple of perspectives from foodservice firms who are in the business of providing market intelligence.

The Sysco market report , published Nov. 15, says this under “ Lettuce-leaf alert ”

Volumes remain unsettled as Salinas, lCA gets ready to end for the season. Huron, CA will be winding down next week. Yuma, AZ has started, and Salinas looks to wrap up late-November. Fluctuating and active markets are expected for 3-6 weeks.

Meanwhile, Pro*Act reported Nov. 20 the outlook for leaf lettuce was strong. From the Pro*Act report:

The romaine market continues to be strong. Demand exceeds supplies. Escalated pricing is in effect on all romaine value-added items. Demand exceeds supplies on romaine hearts as well. Low yields in the growing regions are not expected to get better until the month of December. Production in northern California is simply winding down. Weights on romaine are reported between 26-30 pounds. Defects include insect damage, mechanical, slight blister, and mildew. Green and red leaf are having the same defect issues. Supplies are light as well. Weights are reported at 17-21 pounds. Yuma has started to pick up and better supplies are expected next week.

For iceberg lettuce , Pro*Act writes:

Demand exceeds supplies for this commodity. Production in Yuma is moderate to light. Huron and Salinas are winding down production as next week may be the last production days. Santa Maria has minimal production. Common defects that have been reported upon arrivals include mechanical, epidermal peel, misshapen heads, and lightweights. Weights on wrap have been 29-34 pounds. Escalated pricing on value-added lettuce items will start up this week. Expect active markets for the next two weeks with this commodity.

Meanwhile, Markon’s Nov. 24 market report offers this on iceberg lettuce:

The market will continue to fluctuate through November. Production is being moved south to Yuma. Quality is good: epidemal peeling is a slight issue. Head weights are lower than normal.

Markon on romaine:

Prices will fluctuate through the rest of the month. West Coast growers are moving south to Yuma. Quality is good: epidermal peeling is a minor problem.

TK: Best information from leading foodservice market-watchers is that the lettuce market isn’t expected to come down much before early to mid-December. Stay tuned...

Ready Pac brand processor recalls products with romaine

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:40:06 GMT

UPDATE: The recall has been amended to 75,233 pounds to exclude products without meat, which the Food Safety Inspection Service does not regulate. The list of products has been updated to reflect the changes.

Processor Missa Bay LLC has recalled more than three dozen salad products ith romaine as investigators search for a cause of an eight-state E. coli outbreak with 17 cases.

Most of the recalled products are private-label brands, but include Bonduelle and Ready Pac brand products. Bonduelle Fresh Americas is the marketer of Ready Pac products, one of which has been named by the Maryland Department of Health as related to cases there.

Missa Bay said the recalled products contain romaine from the same lot as the Ready Pac salad identified in Maryland.

The Swedesboro, N.J.-based Missa Bay has recalled 97,272 pounds of salads with chicken and other meats, but will “likely update the volume as more information becomes available,” according to a recall notice on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service website. The USDA, and not the Food and Drug Administration, oversees food safety for products that include chicken and other meats.

The recalled products carry private label brands from retailers that include Aldi, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Albertsons and Target. The full list is available on the FSIS website .

Aldi released a statement about the recall, which included two products sold at its stores.

“We take the safety and integrity of the products we sell very seriously,” according to the statement. “The two products ALDI sold that were included in this recall, Little Salad Bar Chicken Caesar Salad and Little Salad Bar Santa Fe Style Salad, had been removed from our shelves already and they are past their use-by dates. All of the products currently on our shelves are safe to eat.”

The Maryland Department of Health on Nov. 15 reported it had tested an unopened Ready Pac Foods Bistro Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics Caesar Salad that had been purchased by one of the patients with E. coli, and found the pathogen on romaine in the salad. The FDA is investigating those cases, but has listed only two of the seven cases from Maryland in the E. coli outbreak; the agency is investigating the link with the other cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a total of 17 cases in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin. The FDA is searching for a link with the cases, and has identified farms in the Salinas, Calif., area as suppliers of the Ready Pac romaine. Investigators will be taking samples from those companies.

The FDA and Bonduelle Fresh Americas reported none of the 15 patients outside of Maryland said they ate the Ready Pac Foods Bistro Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics Caesar Salad during interviews with health officials.

Missa Bay said the recalled product was processed from Oct. 14-16, with most use-by dates by Oct. 31; a few are listed as Nov. 1. The products have “EST. 18502B” inside the USDA mark of inspection,

Bonduelle Fresh Americas has not recalled any products.

“In agreement with all regulatory agencies, we are not taking any recall action,” according to a Nov. 20 statement from the company. “The products identified are already significantly past their use-by dates and will no longer be on store shelves. As always, please abide by any use-by dates, and do not consume any products that have exceeded these dates.”

The Missa Bay products were shipped to distribution locations in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin, according to the USDA notice.

Related stories:

Ready Pac salad not a common link in 8-state E. coli outbreak

Maryland: E. coli related to romaine in Ready Pac salad

As romaine problems continue, FDA takes closer look