Pew Produce Safety Project

Produce Safety Project Stakeholder's Discussion Series: Monterey, CA

Speakers: Sonia Hammond, Jeff Farrar, Ann Wright, Dr. Robert L. Gravani, Dr. Karen Lowell, Betsy Bihn, Dr. Trevor Suslow at the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Produce Safety Project Stakeholder's Discussion Series: College Park, MD

Speakers: Robert L. Buchanan, Michael Taylor, Raymond Yoder, Dr. Robert L. Gravani, Dr. Karen Lowell, Dr. Michael P. Doyle, Leanne Skelton, Dr. Trevor Suslow at the Center for Food Safety and Security Systems (CFS3) at the University of Maryland

Produce Safety Project Stakeholders' Discussion Series: Tifton, GA

Speakers: Beth Bland, Jeff Farrar, Dr. Michael P. Doyle, Dr. Trevor Suslow, Dr. Marvin Pritts, Dr. Karen Lowell at the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia

Produce Safety Project Stakeholders' Discussion Series: Columbus, OH

Speakers: Ann Wright, Betsy Bihn, Bob Jones, Marilyn Erickson, Dr. Jeffrey Langholz, Nega Beru, Dr. Trevor Suslow at the Food Animal Health Research Program at the Ohio State University

Produce Safety Project Stakeholders' Discussion Series: Rochester, NY

Speakers: Michael Taylor, Larry Echkart, Rayne Pegg, Dr. Michael P. Doyle, Trevor Suslow, Dr. Robert Gravani, Karen Lowell and Jeff Langholz at the National GAPs Program at Cornell University in Rochester, NY

''New law will boost food safety controls''

"Consumer groups are hoping a new federal law will help shield the food chain from contaminants like the recent E. coli outbreak that sickened 60 people, including 23 in St. Louis County, and prompted a lawsuit."

Erik Olson

Erik Olson is director of food programs, overseeing work aimed at food safety, the quality of school food, and the food additives policy.

''E. coli report cites lettuce in outbreak''

"Romaine lettuce from one harvest at a single farm was the likely culprit of the E. coli outbreak that sickened 60 people across 10 states this fall, according to a federal report released Wednesday."

How Safe Are Our Food Imports?

The Pew Health Group and the Center for Science in the Public Interest address the safety of imported seafood and raw produce.

New Analysis of Major U.S. Trade Partners Shows Produce-Safety Regulatory Progress

A number of major countries exporting fresh vegetables and fruit into the United States have modernized food-safety laws and regulations over the past two decades to emphasize preventive measures, according to new report released today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP) at Georgetown University. The report, “Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing the Growing, Packing and Handling of Fresh Produce in Countries Exporting to the U.S.,” presents a series of case studies examining five of the top 10 U.S. produce trade partners – Canada, Chile, China, Mexico and Peru. The report was written by Monachus Consulting, an international agricultural industry consulting firm based in Canada.

Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing the Growing, Packing and Handling of Fresh Produce in Countries Exporting to the U.S.

A number of major countries exporting fresh vegetables and fruit into the United States have modernized food-safety laws and regulations over the past two decades to emphasize preventive measures. The Produce Safety Project (PSP), supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, advocates for improvements in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) oversight of domestic and imported produce through the adoption of mandatory, enforceable safety standards. To provide policymakers with information on the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the growing, packing and handling of fresh produce in countries exporting to the U.S., PSP commissioned a review of those systems in fi ve of the U.S.’s largest trading partners - Canada, Chile, China, Mexico, and Peru.

''Inside Washington: After years of outbreaks, FDA steps up oversight of produce safety''

A field worker has unwashed hands. An animal squeezes through a small tear in a fence. Manure from a nearby hog farm trickles into an irrigation system.

Small mistakes like these are often difficult to identify as the sources of food-borne illnesses, a situation that has frustrated health authorities for years. The Food and Drug Administration and other agencies gather information about a contamination outbreak after people have already been sickened, and their investigations into what went wrong come well after the crucial evidence is gone.

''Food Safety Update — Report Underscores Need for Enhanced Legislation to Protect Americans''

Governing bodies aim to improve more than just the safety of produce as they take steps toward instituting stricter regulations. From bags of spinach to products containing peanuts and hydrolyzed vegetable protein, numerous food recalls have made news in the last four years. At times, it seems as though a biblical plague has been set upon our daily bread. And with food recalls continuing to grab headlines, the finding of a report issued on March 3 by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University should come as no surprise: The cost of food-borne illness is higher than previously estimated.

PSP Submits Growers' Comments

The Produce Safety Project (PSP) supports the development by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a mandatory and enforceable produce safety standard for the growing, harvesting and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Among other activities, PSP sponsored six stakeholder discussions around the country with the goal of providing a platform for stakeholders, with particular emphasis on growers, to discuss their expertise in promoting produce safety through their current practices and offer input for consideration by FDA as it prepares to propose a produce safety rule.

''Working to Save Lives With Safe Food''

"At age 2, Kyle Allgood of Chubbuck, Idaho, became sickened by a deadly strain of E. coli O157:H7, from contaminated spinach. When Kyle's abdominal pains would not subside, he was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital, where his downward spiral ended in kidney failure, a heart attack and, ultimately, death.

The tragedy the Allgood family endured is far from rare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year, food-borne illness strikes tens of millions of Americans, hospitalizes hundreds of thousands and kills several thousand—mostly young children like Kyle, the elderly or others who are especially vulnerable."

U.S. Food Safety System Needs To Integrate Human Health, Animal, and Plant Pathogen Data - Lessons to Be Learned from European Reforms

The Produce Safety Project today issued a report that examines the steps taken by select European Union (EU) countries to reform their food safety data collection and analysis systems since the 1990s. Authored by Michael Batz, head of Food Safety Programs, Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, and J. Glenn Morris, Jr., director at the Institute, the report, "Building the Science Foundation of a Modern Food Safety System," looks at European countries with strong food safety systems and makes a number of recommendations on how to improve those in the United States.

Building the Science Foundation of a Modern Food Safety System

During the past 20 years, those working to prevent foodborne illnesses in the United States–whether in government, industry, academia, or the consumer advocacy community–have made major progress in understanding food safety as a farm-to-fork challenge that necessitates science-based efforts throughout the system. Numerous reports have called for a more risk-informed and data-driven approach to U.S. food safety, and legislation currently being considered in Congress includes provisions to strengthen the scientific basis of the nation’s food safety system.

Foodborne Illness Costs Nation $152 Billion Annually - Nearly $39 Billion Loss Attributed to Produce

Acute foodborne illnesses cost the United States an estimated $152 billion per year in healthcare, workplace and other economic losses, according to a report published today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).

The study, Health-Related Costs from Foodborne Illness in the United States, was written by Dr. Robert L. Scharff, a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist and current Ohio State University assistant professor in the department of consumer sciences. The study estimates that more than a quarter of these costs, an estimated $39 billion, are attributable to foodborne illnesses associated with fresh, canned and processed produce.

Produce Safety Project: Stakeholders' Discussion Series Meetings

The Food and Drug Administration announced in December 2009, that it was going to establish a nationwide produce safety standard for the growing, harvesting and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables and opened an official docket for comments in February 2010.

Issue Brief Series: Analyses of Possible Sources of Produce Contamination

The Produce Safety Project has commissioned a series of papers as a follow-up to its analysis and comparison of existing produce safety standards. These papers will explore in more depth issues relating to the use of compost, the quality of irrigation water, the interaction and interface of food safety standards and conservation standards, and worker hygiene measures.

State Surveillance of Foodborne Illness

In an effort to determine states’ capacity to track produce-related cases of foodborne illness and gain a better understanding of how states conduct investigations of outbreaks, the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, commissioned Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) to conduct a survey of state health departments. The survey was sent to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 39 responded. The survey requested 2007 data on the types of questionnaires administered by state health departments to foodborne-illness victims, the time frame in which they were completed, the types of questions asked, and how states collected and stored the resulting data. These elements are key in the effective identification of the source of a foodborne illness.

Survey of State Health Departments Underscores Gaps in Foodborne Illness Response

A survey of state health departments regarding their capacity to track produce-related foodborne illnesses found that the response and investigation of outbreaks varies greatly and can lead to delays in public-health response.

Statement by Jim O'Hara, Director, Produce Safety Project, in response to the FDA's Announcement Regarding Guidance on Produce Safety

We commend the FDA for moving forward on initiatives to improve the safety of fresh produce. The proposed guidance documents put out for comment today address three of the highest-risk commodities, and we hope that the agency will finalize these documents quickly. We also look forward to the agency's next steps regarding produce safety: issuance of proposed regulations. Science-based, risk-based, enforceable safety standards will restore consumer confidence in foods that are key components of a healthy diet.

Legal Analysis Examines Limits to Agricultural Marketing Service's Role in Produce Safety Standards

This Legal Analysis by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Examines AMS’s Role in Produce Safety Standards.

Comparison of GAPs for Fresh Produce

In the absence of mandatory federal regulations, a number of organizations and one state have stepped into the regulatory void and adopted their own standards for the growing and harvesting of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables intended to be consumed raw) aimed at minimizing microbial contamination.

Dueling Produce Safety Standards Highlight Void Left by Lack of FDA Regulation

A side-by-side analysis of a variety of produce safety standards shows significant variations in guidance given fruit and vegetable growers in what steps they need to take to minimize microbial contamination in light of the lack of federal rules.

Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its voluntary produce safety guidance 11 years ago, a number of organizations and one state have stepped into the regulatory void and adopted their own standards for the growing and harvesting of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables intended to be consumed raw). Some standards are general in nature, and others are commodity specific.

Produce Safety Summit: Implications of Mandatory Safety Standards

Every year in the United States, foodborne illnesses cause sickness, death, and significant economic and social costs that extend beyond the immediate victims. In January 2007, the Government Accountability Office designated federal oversight of food safety as a high-risk area because of the need to reduce risks to public health as well as the economy. In March 2009, President Obama announced the creation of a Food Safety Working Group to address the need to reduce foodborne illness.

A number of actions are being proposed to address these issues, including mandatory safety standards for foods such as fresh produce. However, there are significant inherent challenges in the implementation and enforcement of safety standards, primarily due to multi-stakeholder involvement, increased complexities in the food production and distribution chains, and fragmentation of oversight responsibilities.

Health and Human Services Policy

The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were rightly considered landmark legislation when they were passed by Congress more than a century ago...Our nation’s capacity to protect consumers cannot be met by the structures we have in place. A decade ago, the National Academies of Science called for reform of the nation’s food safety system, and in a series of reports since then, the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has endorsed that goal and made specific recommendations for improvement.

''Officials Driven to Take Closer Look at Food Safety''

The deadly salmonella outbreak traced to a Georgia peanut company is having an unexpected effect: It’s forcing lawmakers — finally, critics say — to improve food-safety regulations that in some cases haven’t been updated in a century.

Current Law Provides FDA with Authority to Mandate Safety Standards for Produce

Legal analyses by the Congressional Research Service and by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University conclude that FDA has sufficient authority under existing law to adopt produce-safety regulations.

FDA Responsibilities and Resources

Charged with responsibility for keeping 80% of the nation's food supply (including fresh produce) safe, the FDA receives less than 25% of federal dollars spent on food safety activities.

Produce-Related Foodborne-Illness Outbreaks

From 1990 through 2005, at least 713 produce-related outbreaks have occurred. This issue brief summarizes 15 years of produce-related illness outbreaks in the U.S.

Foodborne Pathogens Associated with Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

There are a number of foodborne microbial pathogens associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables that can cause illness or death among consumers who eat contaminated produce.

This document summarizes the major foodborne microbial pathogens that may be found in fresh produce, including Cyclospora cayetanensis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Hepatitis A, Listeria monocytogenes, Norovirus, Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp.

Cost of Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illnesses carry with them significant economic and social costs that extend far beyond the immediate victim.

FDA Actions Regarding Produce Safety

For more than a decade, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the challenge of making fresh produce safer. However, it has relied on voluntary guidelines. This document summarizes a decade of government initiatives that fall short of the mandatory and enforceable federal safety standards needed for domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables.

Lessons to Be Learned from the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak of 2008 officially over on August 28, 2008, some three months after it began. During that time, more than 1,400 persons were reported infected, and if, as suggested by research, this represents an underreporting, the outbreak may have sickened thousands of Americans. Given the human, economic and public-health costs of this recent food borne-illness outbreak, therefore, it is critical to learn from it. This report represents the first extensive and in-depth review of the public record of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. In doing so, three areas of concern have surfaced: policy, the public-health system's organization and outbreak response, and its communications with the media and the public.

Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak Exposes Food Safety Issues

Weaknesses in food safety policy, organization and communications were all displayed during this summer's outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, according to a report released today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University. The report, Breakdown: Lessons to Be Learned from the 2008 Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak, represents an in-depth review of the public record of last summer's Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that caused illnesses in more than 1,400 people across the country.

Statement of Jim O’Hara, PSP Director, in response to GAO report highlighting the need for improved FDA oversight of fresh produce

A GAO report found that the FDA lacks the critical resources necessary for protecting Americans’ health when it comes to food safety. The lack of resources, resulting in too few inspections, too little enforcement and too many gaps in scientific research, is not new and clearly needs to be addressed.

Top Line Poll Results

Results from Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies survey of 1002 likely voters, conducted from July 21-August 3, 2008.

Results of a National Survey on Produce Safety

A national survey of likely voters conducted for the Produce Safety Project, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University, finds that the American voting public has significant concerns about produce safety. Voters believe that the federal government and food packagers bear the greatest responsibility for ensuring that produce is safe, and they say that neither group is doing a good job in this regard. Thus it is not surprising that most voters—across the demographic and ideological spectrums—wish to see the produce safety system significantly reformed, supporting new safety requirements even if they increase the cost of produce.

Likely Voters Want Federal Produce Safety Standards, Deeply Concerned About Broken System

Likely voters, by a 3-to-1 margin, want the federal government to establish new safety standards for the growing, harvesting, processing and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables even if they increase costs, according to a national survey commissioned by the Produce Safety Project (PSP), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts at Georgetown University. Conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, the survey found deep discontent - 75% of likely voters -- with the current voluntary system: 36% favor "complete overhaul" and 39% want "significant changes."