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Sunday, October 4, 2009
Food Safety and Sustainability
In the wake of the spinach crisis, growers have been under increasing pressure to make sure no pests or critters enter their fields that could spread a pathogen. Some have resorted to, or been pressured to adopt a "scorched earth" policy that includes large buffer zones, which eliminates environmental efforts in some cases.
The intersection of food safety and sustainability was the topic of a workshop, with Hank Giclas or Western Growers Association moderating a discussion among Eric Holst of the Center for Conservation Initiatives, Mark Teixeira of Teixeira Farms, Mike Burness of Chiquita and Tim York from Markon Cooperative.
Teixeira, representing California leafy greens growers, has found there are different standards - which some are calling "super metrics" that go above and beyond the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement metrics and aren't based on science. In one case, he had to fill in rodent holes in an overflow drainage ditch and check them every 24 hours to see if they were active. He's also had to fence in 13 miles of farmland - at $10 a foot - to keep out deer. And another time he was told to install a "frog fence" to keep frogs in a nearby pond from the fields - unfortunately no such thing exists. Yet if he kills the deer or fills in the pond, the environmental advocates are on him for destroying habits and unnecessarily killing animals.
There's a balance that needs to be struck, York and Burness agreed. While there are cases of growers going overboard, and buyers requiring drastic action, if it doesn't add to food safety then there's no benefit and shouldn't be done.
The consensus was that there needs to be a single, science-based program that doesn't leave room for different interpretations but that recognizes growing may differ across the country. The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement is a good place to start, but more research is needed and everyone needs to be involved in the discussion - from growers to researchers to buyers. The Center for Produce Safety and UC Davis is bringing many of those people to the table, and in future programs there may be environmental qualifications, but they'll be worked out ahead of time and science-based.
posted by Great American Publishing
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11:27 AM
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