The U. S. Food and Drug Administration, working with its federal partners in the Interagency International Work Group, and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) cosponsored a three-day workshop to identify training needs for growers and producers who export fresh produce to the United States. JIFSAN, established by the FDA and the University of Maryland at College Park, is a cooperative, jointly administered multi-disciplinary education and research program that fosters creation of public-private partnerships for improving public health policy. Other federal members of the Interagency International Work Group that participated in the development and sponsorship of the workshop were the U. S. Department of State, U. S. Agency for International Development, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The workshop, "Enhancing the Safety of Fresh Produce at the Source: Training Modalities and Methods, Needs and Opportunities," was held at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center in College Park, Maryland, April 26-28, 1999. The meeting was an extension of a Presidential Initiative to ensure the safety of imported and domestic fruits and vegetables. As part of the initiative, FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture, in consultation with industry, published "Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," (The Guide) outlining good agricultural and good manufacturing practices (GAPs and GMPs, respectively) for the produce industry.
The workshop goals included using The Guide to begin a process for determining how to develop an education and outreach program for growers and producers that will benefit public health and the marketplace. Topics discussed included minimizing microbial contamination through the control of water, manure, worker health and hygiene, field and facility sanitation, and transportation. Overall objectives were to identify common elements of a good training plan, create awareness of existing training programs, and identify potential partnerships for the development of practical training modules.
In addition to defining a basic training model, participants met with representatives of international organizations including funding institutions. They discussed how to develop and fund infrastructure improvements in their countries that will enhance food safety. Finally, the conference considered what the next steps should be and how to take them in a continuing effort to limit microbial contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables. A complete meeting summary will be published within two months as a next step toward developing a training model.
Among the experts and leaders in food safety who addressed the attendees were Joseph Levitt, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Gregory Orriss, Chief for Food Quality and Standards at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Claudio Almeida, Regional Advisor on Food Safety, Pan American
Health Organization; Donna Garren, Director of Scientific and Technical Affairs, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association; Lee Frankel, President, Fresh Produce Association of the Americas; Linda Golodner, President, National Consumers League; Robert Gravani, Cornell University; Kevin Walker, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.
FDA presented a new video, "Assuring Safer Produce: A Global Issue," that introduces the President's Food Safety Initiatives and includes comprehensive, coordinated plans to safeguard the food supply from farm-to-table. The video presents recommendations offered in "The Guide" as methods that can assure safer produce. The video is available in both English and Spanish. The Guide is also available in Spanish and is being translated into French and Portuguese. Later in the year, the produce video will be posted on the government's web site.
This landmark international gathering drew 175 participants from 24 countries on four continents. Attendees were drawn from government experts, education and training counselors, scientists, farmers, producers, worker groups, academic institutions and international organizations.
Countries represented at the international workshop were: Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Columbia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad-Tobago, United States, and Venezuela.
International organizations represented were the Caribbean Community Common Market, the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Pan American Health Organization, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.
More information and copies of materials pertaining to produce safety from farm-to-table are available from the U.S. government's web site: www.foodsafety.gov.
Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables