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PMA, United Fresh support White House safety plan
The Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Produce Association have expressed support for food safety recommendations announced last week by the White House Inter-Agency Work Group on Food Safety.
Bryan Silbermann, PMA president and chief executive officer, outlined some of the group's recommendation in a memo to PMA members. They include: • Commodity-specific guidance on preventive controls that industry can implement to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in the production and distribution of leafy greens, tomatoes and melons;
• Guidance from the Food and Drug Administration on traceback for the entire food industry;
• Two new senior positions – FDA deputy commissioner for foods and U.S. Department of Agriculture chief medical officer;
• Enhancements to www.foodsafety.gov that will include an improved alert system allowing consumers to receive recall information directly;
• Improved communication between the federal agencies and with their state and local counterparts;
• Improved capacity of states to investigate food safety outbreaks; and
• A call for Congress to pass food safety legislation. "Today's announcement is consistent with PMA's position on key points," Silbermann said in a news release.
"(The announcement) demonstrates how the government and the food industry can work together to make meaningful and practical food safety improvements," Tom Stenzel, United Fresh president and chief executive, said in a separate release.
"The administration's plan embraces several key recommendations advanced by United Fresh to help ensure that food safety initiatives address produce industry priorities," he said.
(Written and/or edited by Tom Burfield, Western correspondent for The Packer. The Packer and Red Book Credit Services are part of food360º, a division of Vance Publishing Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.)
E-mail Tom Burfield
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