National Truck Rate Report - Sept. 2

Diesel prices are falling and truck rates are softening. Life is not all bad for produce marketers. From the USDA's National Truck Rate Report:

A slight surplus of trucks was reported for the following commodities and regions: onions from North and East Points Colorado, and sweet potatoes from Mississippi. A surplus of trucks was reported for the following commodities and regions: peaches from South Carolina, citrus, avocados, mangoes, asparagus and mixed vegetables from Mexico Crossings Through Texas and watermelons from Texas. A shortage of trucks was
reported for the following commodities and regions: potatoes from Central Wisconsin. LAST REPORT was issued for potatoes from Delaware. FIRST REPORT was issued for onions
from Orange County New York and Western and Central New York. All other districts reported an adequate supply of trucks.

Packer newsbreak - Sept. 4

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Honduran melon exporter close to U.S. access

A Sept. 2 Associated Press report that the Honduras-based Montelibano Melon Co. has been cleared to export melons to the U.S. is premature, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesman Sebastian Cianci and a Montelibano representative. Go here for the story.

California Asian pear prices on the rise

Larger sizes and outstanding taste are the highlights, grower-shippers said, as the California Asian pear crop hit mid-season form. Prices are climbing, they said. Go here for the story.

Produce traceability standards plan finalized

The Produce Traceability Initiative has finalized a timeline for industry implementation of case-level traceability standards, and the groups involved are circulating the action plan in the U.S. and Canada. Go here for the story.

Mushrooms sent to Canadian retailers recalled

Canadian shoppers in Ontario are being warned not to eat Fresh Obsessions brand sliced white mushrooms because they may contain the Listeria monocytogenes, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Go here for the story.

Del Monte partners with CBS Sports Store

Del Monte is teaming up with CBS Sports Store this fall to reach out to a football-loving audience. Go here for the story.

Of Denial & Reality

Got an EMail from a colleague yesterday, asking that I respond to a query from a survey taken by a family member. And that question was, how many servings of fruit do I eat daily?

We enlightened produce people are conditioned to respond, yes, YES, I eat fruit as naturally as I breathe. I walk jauntily down the avenue plopping berries into my mouth, whistling and avoiding cracks in the sidewalk. (In reality, I'd be running to the other side of the street to avoid that lunatic.)

Alas, I only wish that was the case. While I really do eat tons of vegetables, especially this time of year when the gardens are bountiful, my fruit intake is sporadic at best. A responsible person would be full of self-loathing at the thought that I'm not doing nearly enough to help my business thrive. Not me.

I've come to the realization that it's actually the produce business that's the cause of it all. Some may call it denial. I happen to, on the other hand, define it as the end run around blame.

Here's the way I see it. I eat vegetables because they're good for you, and in filling my stomach they keep me from eating a 32-ounce porterhouse or a vat of au gratin potatoes in one sitting. But taste? I suppose a killer salad, dressed in olive oil & balsamic vinegar with fresh herbs, is pretty enjoyable. Ranch dressing on broccoli is OK. Even soy sauce on grilled asparagus. Naked veggies, to my way of thinking, are eaten out of guilt after looking downward at your own waistline. A Catholic upbringing will do that to a person.

Fruit is a different story. Fruit is like a Siren song, luring you with its beautiful, tactile appearance. Come closer, it says. Touch me, buy me, eat me. Hah! Only then do you find that the gorgeous white flesh peach or perfect-looking, shining Thompson red seedless grapes are fool's gold after all. Although both these commodities have their time in the sun with outstanding taste, at times it falls way short, as can be said for almost every fruit available. They don't always taste as good as they look. Believe me, I know--I'm a tomato broker.

So, as a savvy produce person, I choose my fruit wisely, thus my overall consumption is down. But once I find ripe fruit in season that has taste, I can't get enough. A ripe Mexican mango. Michigan blueberries when they're really into production. An almost-too-ripe baby banana. Good stuff.

The point is that it's funny how I'll eat a carrot because it's healthy to do so, with taste as an afterthought. But give me a tasteless piece of fruit, I'll spit it out, silently note your abject ignorance, and won't talk to you for the rest of the day.

It's the difference between cats & dogs, men & women, Republicans & Democrats...

Later,

Jay

On FDA GAPs revisions - the questions

The planned update and revisions to FDA's Good Agricultural Practices guidance bring to mind several questions as the industry prepares to engage again with the agency.

Here are the questions that FDA has asked in their notice of rule making:

FDA Question#1:. Should any future GAPs/GMPs Guide rank or prioritize among potential issues according to relative risk or importance? If yes, please offer suggestions of how that information could be presented in a way that does not detract from the broad scope of the current guidance.


TK: Tom Stenzel of United and Hank Giclas of Western Growers note that the response to this question will be important, for the agency may create interventions or guidance on the basis of industry responses. Whereas the current guidance may be considered "generic" in some respects, the agency may want more specifics:

Hank Giclas said this to me about the FDA update:

"I would anticipate - especially given the fact that FDA is looking at third party accreditation and looking at the breadth and scope of how GAPs are implemented ... and from a leadership perspective, they are calling for authority to issue mandatory GAPs, I would anticipate there will be a move to make the guidelines more specific in many areas."


Tom Stenzel said this about this question:

"Is there a way to rank the relative risk. That's a good question. That (risk question ) targets toward regulatory action or some kind of intervention takes place if there is consensus."



FDA Question #2 : How should the GAPs/GMPs Guide be organized to enhance its usefulness?


FDA Question #3: While the GAPs/GMPs Guide has been generally accepted and widely adopted, we know that there are entities in the fresh produce industry that are not aware of it. What measures can be taken,and by whom, to expand awareness by the fresh produce industry of the GAPs/GMPs guide?

Tom Stenzel says:

"To me that i is just a clear signal that if we can't say 100% of the industry is complying with basic GAPs, does it it call for mandatory regulation?. There are some hooks in their questions. So we will have to be careful and scientific in how we respond to those."


FDA Question #4: How should the GAPs/GMPs Guide be modified to motivate all operations to implement? Please include information on economic impact.


TK: A leading question...making them mandatory, perhaps?



FDA Question #5: Can the GAPs/GMPs Guide be applied equally to, and implemented by, domestic and foreign growers and packers? if not, should the GAPs/GMPs Guide be revised to incorporate additional options or special considerations (e.g., utilizing draft animals for agricultural tasks) for application and implementation?

TK: For example, can the Amish use horse-drawn wagons at harvest and be in compliance?


FDA Question: #6: Is there a need for additional guidance to assist an operator in determining which provisions of the current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations (e.g. post harvest water quality, disease control, cleanliness and supervision) could be implemented voluntarily for operations that currently are excluded under Sec. 110.19? If so, which ones?


TK: End of the exclusion for GMP compliance for whole produce packers?


FDA Question #7 Should the GAPs/GMPs Guide recommend that growers and other relevant operations develop a written food safety plan, written SOPs, and/or written SSOPs? If so, please describe the types of information or recommendations that you believe would be helpful.


FDA Question #8: Records can be divided into the following two broad groups: 1) records to facilitate traceback, and 2) non-tracebook or operational records. Does the GAPs/GMPs Guide provide sufficient recommendations regarding record keeping? If not, please describe what would be most helpful and why.


TK: Traceability rears its head again.


FDA Question #9 The recent produce safety initiatives concerning leafy greens and tomatoes highlighted the importance of performing environmental assessments before planting, throughout production and prior to harvest. Would it be useful to enhance coverage of thee concepts in the GAPs/GMPs guide?

TK: Can science based numbers be established for environmental assessments?
.
FDA Question # 10. Several newer produce safety programs, such as the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Ref. 8), incorporate recommendations (or requirements) for microbial testing. Does the information on microbial testing in the GAPs/GMPs Guide provide sufficient information?

FDA Question # 11. Some comments submitted in connection with the 2007 public hearings expressed concerns that field management activities intended to minimize microbial hazards, such as removing vegetation to reduce animal harborage near the production field, could have a negative, albeit unintended, impact on the environment and water sheds, among other areas. What data support these concerns? Could/should the GAPs/GMPs Guide do more to identify, address, and possibly mitigate unintended environmental consequences of food safety measures?

FDA Question # 12. Are there existing regulatory requirements at the Federal, State, or local level that act as a disincentive (or as an incentive) for growers or other operators to implement agricultural or manufacturing practices that should be taken into consideration when updating this guidance to reduce the risk of microbial contamination of fresh produce? If yes, please identify and explain.

Palin takes on Obama

I thought Sarah Palin was a hit last night at the RNC. She's a figure that conservatives will rally around and it's amazing how confident she was in taking on Obama. What was her line? The only difference between a hockey mom and pit bull is that one wears lipstick? At least one part of the GOP platform won't be a hit in farm country. The GOP platform calls for an end to the ethanol mandate while Palin and others were gung ho about drilling for more oil. ("Drill baby, drill" was a chorus heard in the hall). For the entire GOP platform, follow this link. Here is the text of her speech.

Irradiation mandated (just kidding)

William Marler forwarded this blog post from a site called efoodalert.com. From the post:

Washington, DC. August 28, 2033– The Secretary of State for Food Safety announced today that – effective January 1, 2034 – all food shipped interstate for retail sale must be sterilized by irradiation. The Secretary urged food regulators in all fifty states to follow suit.

When asked whether this new mandate would also apply to imported foods, Secretary Jenna Bush replied, "You betcha!"

Later......

Slaughterhouse operators and meat packers welcomed the announcement. "It's great news," said the CEO of Universal Beef, "we'll finally get away from all the expensive and burdensome HACCP/SSOP regulations that were imposed on us by the government a generation ago." Spokespeople for the produce and poultry industry associations were equally effusive.

Not everyone, though, welcomed the announcement. Small-scale farmers, livestock operators and food processors expressed concern about the cost of implementing this new mandate. And "natural food" activists were fighting mad. "This is disgusting," said one woman who asked not to be identified, "Irradiation will destroy the nutrients in our food. We've polluted our water and soil, and we should clean it up. What kind of a world are we leaving our children?"

We contacted Phyllis Entis, the now-retired founder of eFoodAlert and author of the classic text Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives, for her reaction to the announcement. "I saw this coming 25 years ago," said Ms. Entis. "I predicted in 2008 that we were on a slippery slope to mandatory food irradiation."


TK: Check out the full post for the complete mock news release. Unlike Phyllis - author of the post - I don't see the "danger" that our whole food supply - particularly produce - will face a slippery slope of irradiation mandates. Yet her scenario is at least plausible, and that's saying something.