The Next Generation of Food Safety
By Jeff Gullickson and Hank Giclas “ FDA, CDC, and state health authorities are investigating an outbreak of illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 in the U.S.” Despite the U.S. fresh produce industry having implemented the most scientifically-informed and rigorous food safety practices in the world, this is a refrain that has become all too familiar in recent years. The romaine industry has been hit particularly hard as of late. In early 2018, 210 illnesses in 36 states were traced back to romaine lettuce contaminated with E. coli from the Yuma growing region. Later that year, another 62 E. coli -related illnesses in 17 states were linked to romaine lettuce production, this time in the Santa Maria growing region. In the fall of 2019, one year later, romaine tainted by E. coli was connected to the Salinas growing region, ultimately sickening 167 people in 27 states. Romaine is far from the only culprit. Over the past several years, Salmonella has been linked to fruit mixes, papayas, vegetable trays, pre-cut melons and sprouts. Hepatitis A has been connected to blackberries and frozen strawberries. In each of these events, we are reminded that the responsibility for food safety is not just limited to a few commodities but, rather, is the collective responsibility of the entire fresh produce industry, and is an obligation that extends throughout the supply chain. Following the E. coli outbreak in the fall of 2018, FDA called on the leafy greens supply chain to adopt several recommendations aimed at enhancing the safety of leafy greens, with a particular emphasis on traceability. These recommendations have tremendous applicability to the broader
fresh produce industry, as well. Specifically, “FDA strongly encourages the entire leafy greens supply chain to adopt traceability best practices and state-of-the-art technology to assure quick, accurate and easy access to key data elements from farm to fork when leafy greens are involved in a potential recall or outbreak.” While this may already be happening in certain segments of the industry, we must endeavor to make the adoption of real-time food safety documentation and supply chain-wide traceability technology universal. By and large, we remain an audit and checklist-driven industry. Most of the data we collect still resides in hard copy form, which limits our ability to examine trends or develop key metrics that allow us or our supply chain partners to monitor performance. Furthermore, in a recall event, we are slow to react because we become mired in record searches that are reliant on many parties and often paper records. The consequences can be catastrophic, both in terms of public health and financial exposure. This is where Western Growers excels; identifying the existential threats to our industry and developing innovative, cost-effective solutions to ensure our members are able to continue farming into the next generation. The risks related to food safety certainly qualify. Western Growers has developed an industry-driven, comprehensive food safety and traceability system—intended to be adopted by each partner in the supply chain—designed to limit both foodborne illnesses and liability. Simply put, it will deliver a best-in-class supply chain program with commercial
12 Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com MARCH | APRIL 2020
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