Not a rubber stamp

I had a brief visit with Sen. Larry Craig this afternoon and he said farm bill negotiators want another one or two week extension. Craig says there may be some movement on financing questions but he said he will not agree to the extension until the principals come to the Senate floor tomorrow and explain precisely where talks stand.

"It has not been my intent to slip us back to a one or two year extension; my intent is to ratchet up the pressure and to some extent we have been able to do that," Craig said.

More from Sen. Craig in Packer coverage....

Potato stocks up 10%

From today's USDA potato stocks report:

The 13 major potato States held 134 million cwt of potatoes in storage April 1, 2008, up 10 percent from a year ago and 15 percent above April 1, 2006. Potatoes in storage accounted for 33 percent of the 2007 fall storage States' production, up 2 percentage points from April 1, 2007. Klamath Basin stoks totaled 1.15 million cwt on April 1, 2008, down 18 percent from a year ago. Klamath Basin stocks include potatoes stored in California and Klamath County, Oregon. Potato disappearance, at 266 million cwt, was 1 percent below April 1, 2007 but up 3 percent from 2006. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 21.6 million cwt, was down 3 percent from the same date in 2007 but up 7 percent from 2006. Processors in the 9 major States have used 140 million cwt of potatoes this season, down 4 percent from the same period last year but up 5 percent from 2 years ago. Dehydrating usage accounted for 29.3 million cwt of the total processing, down 9 percent from last year but 10 percent above the same period in 2006.

Stenzel's reaction to Putnam Costa

Just slid across the inbox: the expected endorsement from United:

Washington, DC – United Fresh Produce Association President Tom Stenzel issued the following statement today regarding the Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards and Targeting Act (Safe FEAST Act), a new bipartisan food safety bill introduced in the House of Representatives today by Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Putman (R-FL).
“We congratulate Congressmen Costa and Putman on their leadership in introducing the Safe FEAST Act of 2008. There are a number of provisions in this bipartisan bill that can work to enhance a strong food safety regulatory framework that builds public confidence in fresh produce. We look forward to working with Congressmen Costa and Putman on the details of their bill, as well as other Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate.
“Fresh produce is an essential part of the diet to improve public health, with the federal government’s own 2005 Dietary Guidelines calling for consumption of 9-13 servings per day for fruits and vegetables. That’s almost double current consumption for most consumers, and has led to the public health campaign Fruits and Veggies: More Matters led by the Centers for Disease Control and the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
“To meet these health goals, the public must have confidence that the federal government, states, produce companies and growers are working together across the total produce industry to assure the safest possible foods. Our industry is committed to employing best agricultural and handling practices for both domestically grown and imported foods, and looks forward to continuing to work with Congress, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the states to ensure that we provide the safest and most healthy, nutritious produce possible to American consumers.”

Putnam - Costa

If there is a bill that most closely represents the preferences of the industry in potential food safety legislation, this bill may be the ticket. Here is the release describing the Putnam Costa bill, introduced today, followed by some reaction from the GMA:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) today introduced legislation to modernize America’s food safety network. The Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards and Targeting Act, “Safe FEAST Act,” would establish new food safety requirements for domestically produced and imported food to identify and prevent potential sources of food-borne illness. For the first time, the measure grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statutory power to recall contaminated food in the case of adulteration.

Costa a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Putnam, Chairman of the Republican Conference said they expect the bipartisan measure to earn support among consumers and industry groups.

“The last time our food safety laws had major reforms, President Eisenhower was in office. Much has changed since then; American consumers deserve to have confidence in their food supply and American farmers and processors are doing everything possible to produce the safest food in the world,” said Costa.

“This is a bill to ensure the highest level of food safety for our nation’s food supply,” said Putnam. “Cases of food-borne illness present a health risk to consumers and risk consumer confidence in our food supply. The need for this legislation is clear.” Nearly 25,000 cases of food-borne illness were reported in the United States during 2006, he noted

“What is lacking,” said Costa, “is to have a system that ensures best management practices to strengthen the relationship between federal and state agencies to better prevent and control food safety threats at all levels of food production. I believe these are realistic and achievable steps, and will make the American consumer's food supply safer, which is the goal of this legislation.”

To ensure that food products coming into the United States from international sources are safe, imported goods would have to adhere to the same safety and quality standards as set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Foreign Suppliers Quality Assurance Program would verify that all imported goods meet FDA safety requirements and requires food importers to complete a foreign supplier food safety plan, documenting the food safety measures and controls for FDA review.

The bill includes a Mandatory Food Risk Assessment and Preventative Controls Plan that requires all domestic and foreign food companies selling food in U.S. to conduct a food safety risk analysis that identifies potential sources of contamination, outlines appropriate food safety controls, and requires verification that the food safety controls implemented are adequate to address the risks of food-borne contamination.

It establishes new standards for fruits and vegetables, including updating Good Agricultural Practices Guidance for safe production and issuance of regulation on safety standards, when risk and science demonstrate standards are needed. Increases coordination between, federal, state and foreign governments to ensure that standards and allows for variances to meet local growing conditions.

Finally, the Safe FEAST Act would grant FDA authority to access food safety production records during emergencies and deny importation of goods if strict food safety standards are not met and directs the agency to adopt a risk-based approach to inspections, giving greater scrutiny to facilities posing greater risk.

TK: This is most of what the FDA is looking for, from what I can see. Also, expect favorable industry reaction to this proposed legislation; the GMA has already issued this statement:

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today issued the following statement from GMA President and CEO Cal Dooley regarding Congressman Jim Costa’s (D-CA) and Congressman Adam H. Putnam’s (R-FL) bipartisan Safe FEAST Act of 2008 proposal to improve, modernize and strengthen our nation’s food safety system.

“Steadily increasing food imports and changing consumer preferences pose new challenges for our nation's food safety net,” said Dooley. “The bill proposed today by Reps. Costa and Putnam will place significant new mandates on the food industry, including new produce safety standards.

“The food industry is already making significant investments to ensure the safety of food, and welcomes a stronger and more effective government oversight role, as proposed by Congressmen Costa and Putnam. Under this proposal, industry will continue to invest in food safety, and the federal government will serve as our partner, looking over our shoulder to make sure we do things right. Increasing the strength of the public-private food safety partnership is the best way to improve our nation’s food safety net and bolster consumer confidence in the safety and security of the food supply. We look forward to working with Congress to craft food safety legislation that can be passed into law this year.”

Agroterror and the FDA

I went down to the Third International Symposium on Agroterrorism here in KC this morning to hear the FDA's David Acheson speak. Acheson said that one of the FDA's goal is to update the 10-year old GAP guidance, and he spoke of the FDA's desire for additional legislative authority from Congress to require preventive food safety measures for high risk commodities. More in The Packer coverage..... Here is a PPT on the Web about agroterror.