HHS PUBLISHES GUIDE ON SAFE GROWING AND PROCESSING OF PRODUCE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today published a draft guide on the safe production and processing of fresh produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, and this guide is intended to further enhance produce safety by providing farmers and processors with steps they can take to combat disease-causing microorganisms from contaminating crops.

The draft guide is being issued for public comment as part of President Clinton's "Initiative to Ensure the Safety of Imported and Domestic Fresh Fruits and Vegetables," announced October 2, 1997. In that initiative, the President directed that FDA and USDA take steps to ensure the safety of produce. The guide is one of several actions being taken to fulfill the President's directive. A final guide incorporating relevant comments will be issued later this year.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala said that recent incidents of consumer illness associated with the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables were catalysts for the President's initiative and for development of the draft guide.

"According to the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most of the calories in a healthy diet should come from fruits, vegetables and grain products," Secretary Shalala said. "That recommendation makes it even more critical for government and industry work together to ensure that fresh produce is wholesome and safe."

"The guide is a set of voluntary guidelines describing good agricultural and manufacturing practices designed to minimize the risks of pathogen contamination of produce," said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., FDA's Lead Deputy Commissioner. "This is the latest in a series of major steps being taken to help enhance the safety and wholesomeness of America's food supply."

The document addresses key areas where precautions should be taken to ensure safety: water quality, worker hygiene, field and facility sanitation, manure management and transportation. The guide recommends, for example, training farm and plant workers in proper hygienic practices and monitoring worker health to reduce the risk of transmitting food-borne pathogens.

After the guide is finalized later this year, FDA and USDA plan to initiate a program of grants, partnerships and outreach to provide technical assistance and education on the guide's elements to domestic and foreign fresh fruit and vegetable growers and processors.

In November and December 1997, FDA and USDA held a series of seven public meetings around the country where the agencies solicited input from consumers, farmers, processors and the foreign exporting industry on the elements that should be included in the guide.

A notice of availability of the guide was published today in the Federal Register. Copies of the draft guide can be viewed on, and downloaded from, FDA's internet website at WWW.FDA.GOV (select the foods icon). Written comments on the guide may be submitted up through June 29 to the Food and Drug Administration, Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), 12420 Parklawn Drive, Room 1-23, Rockville, Md. 20857. Comments should refer to docket number 97N-0451.

This article comes from Science Blog. Copyright � 2004
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