a collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration to evolve from enforcement-first to transparent data sharing and system-wide safety improvements that dramatically reduced airline safety incidents. Tim York, CEO of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, has been an especially effective advocate for a version of that model.
Robert M. Califf M.D., MACC, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, FDA
In a meeting last year, Califf pointed to a slightly different example. As a young pioneer in open heart surgeries, Califf witnessed incredibly rapid improvements in health outcomes following open heart surgeries thanks to an information and data sharing model that the medical industry and its regulators adopted in the 1970s. As a relatively new and risky procedure, there was much to learn from every adverse experience, and the rapid and transparent sharing of those experiences, with a no-blame framework (excepting for negligence) among cardiologists, researchers and public health authorities, led to rapid improvements in open heart surgery techniques and patient outcomes. The stakes are similarly high this time, as the fresh produce industry and the FDA together face the difficult challenge of further reducing the incidences of foodborne illness outbreaks. Turning a ship as big and unwieldy as the FDA won’t be easy but for the sake of consumers and every aspect of the fresh produce supply chain, we need to help Robert Califf succeed. If the California DMV can be reformed, anything is possible.
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2024
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Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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