Buyers letter Part II

Talking with Tim York of Markon on Jan. 3, he noted the Dec. 14 "Buyers letter" to PMA, United and Western Growers hasn't prompted a formal reply from those groups, but he said it doesn't necessarily need one.

York said one important point in the letter was the acknowledgement that progress has been made by growers seeking to strengthen food safety standards. A second point York stressed was that the industry needs a verifiable certification process for food safety standards, which he said is critical to prevent duplication of efforts.

The third point, and one that also bears more examination, is the desire for the industry to speak as one on produce safety. Particularly, the letter mentions the concept of a new organization based on the now-mothballed Center for Produce Quality. The Center for Produce Quality was a joint industry effort that was instrumental in helping to rebuild or at least document consumer confidence in fresh produce after the Alar scare of 1989. It lacked sufficient funding to continue beyond the early 1990s. The buyers' letter also mentioned the model of the Beef Industry Food Safety Council.

York suggested such a group could speak with one voice on produce safety issues, and potentially could serve as a certification organization for food safety standards through the supply chain.

I haven't had a chance to visit with United, PMA and WG officials about this concept yet. Funding and organizational turf are bound to be issues, but there is little doubt serious times may call for serious solutions.