California growers of lettuce and leafy greens are committed to a food safety program that is effective, uniform and verifiable.  This statewide program, under the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement, is the first of its kind and a model for protection of food safety.

This program is effective, because it requires specific on-farm practices -- Good Agricultural Practices accepted by the LGMA: Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens -- that employ comprehensive standards for protections, including training, field sanitation, water quality and testing, soil amendments, wildlife exclusion, and traceback.  These guidelines are reviewed by scientists, government agencies and industry to insure they reflect the best and latest techniques and research findings.

The program is uniform, because it requires all signatory handlers to enforce the Food Safety Guidelines with all their suppliers.  Growers who want to sell to California handlers must adopt the food safety program and its practices.  The market -- being able to sell product and protecting brands and trademarks -- is the most effective enforcement.

The program is verifiable, because the on-farm practices are audited by handlers and government agencies.  Failure to comply can result in loss of certification and destruction of crops.

Learn more about food safety at Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at UC Davis.  Click on the graphic to go to the WIFSS website:

Until science can supply a way to completely eliminate bacteria in food, our nation's food safety system must include layers of protections.  The first line of defense is the food safety program of on-farm precautions now applied throughout California.  Food safety requires other layers of protection beyond on-farm practices, and these other layers include:

• Packing and handling practices followed by fresh produce handlers, food processors and salad plants;

• Testing for bacteria by handlers and governments, for early detection in case bacteria enter the food supply;

• Traceback and record keeping, to trace bacterial contamination to the source, to find out how it occurred and how to prevent future occurrences, and to notify consumers and others about affected products;

• Recalls of product if testing indicates the possibility of bacterial contamination;

• Reporting of all bacterial finds and food-borne illness, to prevent illnesses before they occur if possible, and to identify food-related illnesses to prevent further occurrences and to remove contaminated foods from the food supply;

• Safe handling and food safety education for all end users, including consumers; and,

• Public information about contamination, recalls and food-borne illness, a service supplied by both government agencies and the media.

Food safety is a priority for California growers of fresh produce, and Monterey County Farm Bureau has been in the forefront of the issue.  Bob Martin of King City has been designated to represent both Monterey County Farm Bureau and California Farm Bureau Federation in food safety discussions.  Bob is a volunteer leader and past president of Monterey County Farm Bureau.

Farm Bureau has:

• Advocated research to improve food safety precautions

• Called for assignment of a Food Safety Advisor to University of California Cooperative Extension on the Central Coast, to do applied field research, find more effective food safety practices, and work with growers to improve food safety

• Supported HR 912 by Congressman Sam Farr to provide additional funds for food safety research related to perishable agricultural commodities through Cooperative Extension, USDA's Agricultural Research Service, and FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

• Spearheaded a study of E. coli risk in the local deer herd

California's food safety program is a model that is also transparent.  The Leafy Green Marketing Agreement, an industry-supported program administered by California Department of Food and Agriculture, is public.  Its purposes, membership, agreement and guidelines are posted at http://www.caleafygreens.ca.gov/.  The purpose of the Marketing Agreement is to license Signatory Handlers to certify safe handling, shipment and sale of leafy green products to consumers.

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