Acheson - Ready to mandate traceability?

Go here for the testimony of David Acheson at the House agriculture appropriations subcommittee. His testimony has generated coverage from Reuters here, indicating that Rep. Rosa DeLauro was pressing Acheson on the issue of government mandated traceability. Here is what Acheson said in his testimony about traceability. From David Acheson's statement:


I would now like to describe some of our recent activities to improve product tracing of fresh produce. The ability to trace pathways of any food, including tomatoes and other fresh produce, through every point in the supply chain is crucial for limiting foodborne illness in an outbreak, for preventing future outbreaks, and for reducing the impact on the segments of the industry whose products were not associated with the illnesses. The pathways that fresh produce travels from field to consumer have become increasingly complex, with items sometimes changing hands many times in the supply chain.

FDA formed an internal multi-Center group to meet with external entities (such as industry, consumers, and Federal, State, local, and foreign governments) to better understand the universe of tracing systems that are currently in use or being developed. FDA has reached out to various organizations, including trade associations and consumer groups, to gain a better understanding of best industry practices for product tracing, including the use of electronic and other technologies that speed and enhance the tracing process and the use of systems that connect all the links in the produce supply chain. FDA is using this information to develop recommendations for the fresh produce industry to use to improve its internal tracing systems. We plan to hold two public meetings in the fall to further the exchange of information on available technology and best practices for enhanced product tracing.

We have been working extensively with States and the fresh produce industry to encourage incorporation of tracing procedures and technology. For example, FDA assisted the Florida Tomato Commission and the University of FloridaInstitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in the development of Florida’s Tomato Best Practices Manual. This Manual incorporates Good Agricultural Practices, Good Handling Practices, and product tracing recommendations for industry. The Manual formed the basis of the State of Florida’s tomato safety rule.

Another recent example is the final guidance for fresh-cut produce, which FDA issued this year. The guidance includes a section on product tracing and a section on documentation and record keeping. FDA also provided industry its “Guide to Traceback of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Implicated in Epidemiological Investigations,” which is used by our investigators.

Last month, FDA issued a Request for Applications to provide funding to six States to establish Food Protection Rapid Response Teams to investigate multi-state outbreaks of foodborne illness. Enhancing the infrastructure of State food protection programs and strengthening joint Federal/State responsiveness at a local level are an important way to protect consumers by expediting product tracing investigations.

We also are planning to host a workshop at the University of Maryland during 2009 to review the status of a product tracing study on tomatoes and dairy that the European Union is currently conducting. This review will allow FDA to incorporate relevant findings from the EU study in our decision making. The EU began its four-year product tracing study in 2007 with the goal of ensuring total product tracing of food and feed along the whole chain from production to consumption. As part of this effort, the EU is developing, testing, and evaluating two full pilot product tracing systems, including one for the tomato food chain. We will continue to work with Federal, State, local and international food safety partners and with industry to conduct research, develop educational outreach materials, and initiate other commodity-, practice-, or region-specific programs to enhance the safety of fresh produce.