…and other interested parties: the Food and Drug Administration is holding two public hearings about the safety of fresh produce, one in Oakland on March 20 and another in College Park, MD, on April 13. The participant registration deadline is March 12 for the Oakland hearing and April 6 for College Park.
The purpose of the hearings is for FDA to share information about recent outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with microbial contamination of fresh produce, and to solicit comments, data, and other scientific information about current agricultural and manufacturing practices used to produce, harvest, pack, cool, process, and transport fresh produce; risk factors for contamination of fresh produce associated with these practices; and possible measures by FDA to enhance the safety of fresh produce.
Out of the very long, detailed explanation of what the FDA wants to discuss, this bit jumped out at me as particularly relevant to small organic and “beyond organic” growers:
Question 6. In identifying possible Federal interventions or actions, to what extent can or should we take into account the wide variation within the fresh produce industry with respect to, e.g., the size and type of establishments, the nature of the commodity produced, the practices used in production, and the vulnerability of particular commodities to contamination?
Register online or by calling, faxing, or e-mailing Isabelle Howes, (202) 314-4713, fax (202) 479-6801.
Thanks, Marc!
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