Seal of disapproval

The plot thickens even before the Jan. 12 meeting that will give California growers and shippers a public airing of the proposed marketing agreement for leafy greens. This update from The Mercury provides a potential villain in state Sen Dean Florez, D-Bakersfield, who complains that the marketing agreement run by an industry-dominated board will be little more than the "fox watching the hen house." Also in the mix is the Center for Science in the Public Interest; a spokeswoman for that group said the marketing agreement can't be judged until specific food safety standards are published, which are not ready yet.

Even with some dissent, I see the marketing agreement moving ahead. There is no plan B that I can see and the industry is acting in good faith to upgrade its food safety practices and respond to consumer concerns.

Here is a consumer press article that reminds the industry why restoring consumer confidence with sound science is so important.