Food safety discussion and coming Harkin bill

The fruit and vegetable industry advisory board met this afternoon and wrestled with its position on federal oversight of produce safety, Particularly, they considered how their position would play into the committee's recommendations to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. It seems USDA is just waiting for the opportunity to be more active in produce safety issues, whether through the use of their inspectors performing GAP/GHP audits or perhaps using the machinery of marketing agreements and marketing orders for food safety purposes.

During the afternoon's conversation, it was pointed out that Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., has been circulating draft language of a bill that seeks to legislate some aspects of produce safety - mostly, I understand, in relation to GAPs at farm level. Introduction could be just weeks away, some said. I haven't seen the draft of the bill.

The advisory committee should finish its deliberations and author its recommendations to Johanns by tomorrow morning. Not withstanding the lead of United and PMA, some members felt uneasy with the the terms of "mandatory" oversight, when it is unclear what mandatory oversight of produce safety might mean.

Meanwhile, the House Agriculture Committee is expected to post the horticultural subcommittee's work on the farm bill by tomorrow morning. The chairman's mark is expected later in the week, and that should be a big neon yellow sign as to what kind of farm bill the specialty crop industry might score for 2007.