Jalapeno market - No sweat

Could it be that the jalapeno market is oblivious to the FDA consumer warning?
As Jay Martini noted in the June 16 post "Geographic Irony," the Hispanic market and the Hispanic consumer were the first to come back to tomatoes. From that post by Jay:

Along with the other ethnicities that comprise the lifeblood of the present-day terminal market, Mexican grocery stores have been the only buyers up til now that have stepped up to the plate, saying in effect 'I don't care what the FDA is advising', and stocked their stores for Father's Day.

The terminal market reports from the USDA that I just pulled up from today appear to show a steady market for jalapenos everywhere.

Fruit or vegetable?

Tomato -- fruit or vegetable? Who among us hasn't been at a dinner party or other gathering at one time or another and had this question spur a heated debate?

A post at http://www.livescience.com/health/080722-fruit-what-is.html helps clear up the issue:

" ... in the world of botany, a fruit is the structure that bears the seeds of a plant. It is formed in the plant's flower. In the center, the female parts of the flower include the ovary. The ovary has structures inside that become the seeds when fertilized. So the ovary will develop into the fruit. To the plant, fruits are basically a means of spreading the seeds around, generally by wind or animal poop. In the latter case, fruits such as raspberries become thicker and accumulate sugars and bright colors, thereby attracting birds or other animals ..."

Tomatoes, for the record, are technically a fruit.


But don't expect to find a bunch of tomato farmers at the next fruit growers co-op meeting.

What about vegetables? According to Livescience:

"The term vegetable has no meaning in botany ... . Instead, the other produce is also classified, like the fruits, by whatever part of the plant they are. For example, rhubarb and celery are the stems, albeit very enlarged and juicy stems, of a leaf. Lettuce, kale, spinach and cabbage are the leaves of a plant."

As far as public perception goes, I'm guessing people generally think of fruit as produce that is sweet and vegetables as those commodities that are not -- a fairly accurate shortcut.

Sustainability Summit: 93% good or excellent

Rave returns on the FMI's Sustainability Summit of last month. In an email from Jeanne vonZastrow this morning:

Dear Sustainability Summit Attendees,

Thank you for participating in Food Marketing Institute's first Sustainability Summit! There were 375 attendees in Minneapolis, and the final attendee list is attached. Highlights of the attendee survey include:

-Nearly all participants, 93 percent had a good or excellent Summit experience.
-Attendees rated speakers highly: 89 percent gave a rating of good or excellent.
-More than half of 2008 attendees already plan to attend the 2009 Sustainability Summit.

FMI and the Sustainability Task Force Members are currently working on developing a basic retail carbon calculator, and are also establishing "working groups" on specific issues like sustainable seafood, sustainable agriculture, water and packaging.
The next FMI Sustainability Summit will be June 15-17 in San Francisco. If you have ideas for program, speakers or industry tours please contact Jeanne vonZastrow at 435.259.3342 or jvonzastrow@fmi.org.
Sincerely,
Jeanne vonZastrow
Senior Director, Member Services
FMI Sustainability Task Force Coordinator

CSPI: Stronger bioterrorism regs would have helped

Although it may seem fresh produce growers and marketers have plenty of room to express their grievances with the FDA, others will have a different perspective. Where the industry sees too much power in the hands of the FDA to ruin the industry, others want to give the FDA more power. Clearly, "traceability" debate is where the industry faces the biggest risk of new mandatory controls.

July 21 statement of CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline Smith DeWaal

More than 1,200 Americans have gotten sick and two people have died after eating produce contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul. With an investigation spanning many weeks, food safety regulators have had a challenging time trying to track suspected tomatoes and peppers up or down the supply chain, hampered by paper records and repacking practices that effectively hide the identity of produce in the distribution chain.

Today FDA announced an important breakthrough in the case: A Jalapeno pepper from a Mexican farm -- repacked at a Texas distribution facility -- has been found with the identical strain fingerprint of Salmonella as the human victims.

Though we still do not know where or how the contamination occurred, what we do know is traceability tools that Congress adopted in the 2002 Bioterrorism Act were significantly watered down by the Bush Administration. In fact, in 2003, food industry lobbyists had special behind-closed-doors access when the Bush Administration was vetting new anti-bioterrorism regulations aimed at protecting the food supply from intentional contamination. Provisions stripped from the regulations, like requirements for distributors to record lot or code numbers, and requirements for record availability in 4 to 8 hours, might have been helpful nailing down this Salmonella outbreak much earlier.

At the time, the industry complained that strong provisions were overly burdensome, and the Administration watered down the regulations in response. Those complaints must seem quaint compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars this one outbreak has cost American growers, processors, and retailers.

It’s time for Congress to step in and enact meaningful FDA reform legislation. Though time is short, Congress should act before another outbreak occurs to give FDA strong traceback authority, mandatory process control systems all the way back to the farm, and mandatory recall. The Bush Administration has consistently failed to put public health ahead of the complaints of industry lobbyists. Congress should not wait for more evidence that the agency doesn’t have the tools it needs.

CBS: Jalapeno warning

New FDA Guidance

Questions that I have about the jalapeno pepper: was it packed in Mexico or shipped in bulk to Texas for repacking? Note this from the firm press release: "The Jalapeno Peppers being recalled were shipped in 35lb. plastic crates and in 50lb. bags with no brand name or label."
No brand name or label? I suppose we can assume that no great amount of traceabilty data can be found on plastic crates and 50-pound bags with no brand name or label. How were the peppers shipped to the U.S. - what were the sanitary conditions of the trucks used?


Updated information from the FDA, posted yesterday:


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that one jalapeno pepper sample is a positive genetic match with the Salmonella Saintpaul strain causing the current Salmonella outbreak.
The positive sample was obtained during an FDA inspection at a produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas. The pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, however, that does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico.
The produce distribution center, Agricola Zaragoza, is working with FDA to voluntarily recall jalapeno peppers the company distributed since June 30, 2008.
Since a recall will not immediately remove all potentially contaminated peppers from the food supply, FDA is also asking consumers to avoid eating raw jalapeno peppers or foods made from raw jalapeno peppers until further notice in order to prevent additional cases of illness. This recommendation does not include cooked or pickled jalapeno peppers.
FDA is continuing to advise that people in high risk populations, such as elderly persons, infants and people with impaired immune systems, avoid eating raw serrano peppers or food made from raw serrano peppers until further notice..
Discovery of the positive jalapeno pepper sample was the result of several weeks of investigation by FDA scientists and field staff – including examining traceback data from the locations where there were clusters of food-borne illness, scrutinizing distribution records and collecting environmental samples from water, soil, work surfaces and packing boxes throughout the entire chain of production and distribution.FDA is continuing to investigate the other parts of the distribution chain to determine if there is any evidence that the contamination occurred on the farm in which the pepper was grown or at some other point in the supply chain before the distribution center in McAllen, TX.
According to the CDC, 1,251 persons with Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint have been identified in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada since April 2008. Investigation of Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul (CDC) [en Español]
Photos of Jalapeno and Serrano Peppers

Also published on the FDA Web site:



Recall -- Firm Press Release
FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.
Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. Recalls Jalapeno Peppers Because of Possible Health Risk
Contact:Raymundo Cavazos956-631-6405
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 21, 2008 -- Agricola Zaragoza, Inc. of McAllen, TX is recalling Jalapeno Peppers distributed since June 30th, 2008 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The Jalapeno Peppers were distributed to customers in GA and TX.
The Jalapeno Peppers being recalled were shipped in 35lb. plastic crates and in 50lb. bags with no brand name or label.
The recall is a result of sampling by FDA, which revealed that these Jalapeno Peppers were contaminated with the same strain of Salmonella Saintpaul responsible for the current Salmonella outbreak. It is unknown at this time which, if any, of the more than 1,200 illnesses reported to date are related to this particular product or to the grower who supplied this product. Distribution of these products has been suspended while FDA, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the company continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
Consumers and retailers who purchased Jalapeno Peppers should contact their supplier to determine if their products are involved in the recall. Commercial manufacturers that have used these recalled Jalapeno Peppers as an ingredient in other products (i.e. salsas, etc.) are encouraged to contact their local FDA office to determine if these products should be recalled. Additionally, restaurants, retail food stores, and similar retail institutions that have used these Jalapeno Peppers as a garnish or as an ingredient to prepare entrees, salsas or other products are asked to dispose of these products making sure that all such peppers are not inadvertently made available for purchase, salvage or donation and therefore preventing any possibility for human or animal consumption.. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (956)-631-6405.

GAP Mental Modeling

Luis of the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group caught (Do you think you know GAPs or you only fooling yourself?) a recent notice in the Federal Register that's worth comment. It sounds as if the FDA is seeking to understand how growers comprehend Good Agricultural Practices. Or more precisely, why they don't; "There is evidence that growers have not fully implemented GAPs to reduce production risk, despite intensive GAPs training programs." From the Federal Register notice:


Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the proposed study entitled ``Mental Models Study of Farmers' Understanding and Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices.''
Mental Models Study of Farmers' Understanding and Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices.

The proposed information collection will help FDA protect the public from foodborne illness by increasing the agency's understanding of how farmers and growers use Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to address common risk factors in their operations and thereby minimize food safety hazards potentially associated with fresh produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are those that are likely to be sold to consumers in an unprocessed or minimally processed (i.e., raw) form and that are reasonably likely to be consumed raw. Under section 903(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 393 (b)(2)), FDA is authorized to conduct research relating to foods and to conduct educational and public information programs relating to the safety of the Nation's food supply. Under Title 42 of the Public Health Service Act (1944), FDA has authority to act to protect the public health.
In 1998, FDA issued a guidance document entitled ``Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,'' available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/prodguid.html. The guidance addresses microbial food safety hazards and good agricultural and good management practices common to the growing, harvesting, washing, sorting, packing, and transporting of most fruits and vegetables sold to consumers in an unprocessed or minimally processed (raw) form.
There is evidence that growers have not fully implemented the GAPs to reduce production risks, despite intensive GAPS training programs. FDA is planning to conduct a study to determine growers' decision- making processes with regard to understanding and implementing GAPs on the farm, to more fully understand the barriers and constraints associated with GAPs implementation.
The project will use ``mental modeling,'' a qualitative research method wherein the decision-making processes of a group of respondents (described below) concerning the implementation of GAPs on the farm are modeled and compared to a model based on expert knowledge and experience in the implementation of GAPs. The information will be collected via a telephone interview concerning the factors that influence the perceptions and motivations related to the implementation of GAPs. A comparison between expert and consumer models based on the collected information may identify ``consequential knowledge gaps'' that can be redressed through information campaigns designed by FDA.
Description of respondents:
Respondents will be farmers or growers, GAPs trainers, and retail buyer and/or grower association representatives.
The study will involve approximately 60 respondents, including 24 farmers or growers of fruits and vegetables, 24 GAPs trainers, and 12 retail buyer or grower association representatives. FDA will also conduct a pretest using 9 respondents.