California Ag Network

Tag: FDA

  • FDA to Implement Sampling Effort for Lettuce Grown in Salinas

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be collecting and testing samples of lettuce grown in California’s Salinas Valley from local commercial coolers from May through November 2021. The agency will test the samples for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. as part of ongoing surveillance efforts following reoccurring outbreaks linked to this region, including most recently in the fall of 2020.

    The FDA assignment will direct sampling to be conducted at commercial cooling and cold storage facilities where field heat is removed from harvested lettuce and where product is cold-stored before processing. Sampling may include pre-cooled product (preferred) or post-cooled product. Sample collection at commercial coolers helps the FDA efficiently obtain samples from multiple farms at centralized locations and facilitates prompt traceback and follow-up if contamination is detected.

    The agency plans to collect and test a total of approximately 500 post-harvest samples of iceberg, leaf and romaine lettuce. Each sample will consist of 10 subsamples, each made up of one head of lettuce (trimmed, cored and possibly wrapped), or in the case of romaine lettuce, loose leaves or one package of hearts.  FDA laboratories will conduct all testing.

    During this sampling assignment, the FDA will take extra precautions to help ensure the safety of agency investigators and firm employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. FDA investigators will preannounce their visits to firms per the Agency’s COVID-19 safety practices. They will be outfitted with personal protective equipment (PPE) and will carry out their work while adhering to local, state and applicable CDC guidance.

    Helping to ensure the safety of leafy greens remains a high priority of the FDA. This assignment adds to other work underway in collaboration with stakeholders in the California Central Coast growing region to identify where the recurring strain of pathogenic E. coli is persisting and the likely routes of leafy green contamination with STECs.  This includes continued implementation of actions identified in the recently updated Leafy Greens Action Plan, including a multi-year longitudinal  study to assess the environmental factors impacting the presence of foodborne pathogens in this region. Consistent with the action plan, if the FDA detects a pathogen such as E. coli O157:H7, the agency will conduct a follow-up investigation to identify potential sources and routes of contamination. Such investigations are designed to inform what additional preventive measures may be needed to help prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness.

  • FDA, CDFA, Western Center for Food Safety, and CA Ag Stakeholders Partner to Enhance Food Safety

    “California leads the world in leafy greens production and innovation. Industry and food safety officials are proud to partner on this in-depth scientific study protecting public health.” — CDFA Secretary Karen Ross

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing the launch of a multi-year study to improve food safety through enhanced understanding of the ecology of human pathogens in the environment that may cause foodborne illness outbreaks. This initiative is being launched with partners including the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the University of California, Davis, Western Center for Food Safety (WCFS), and agricultural stakeholders in the Central Coast of California.

    The launch of this study follows a series of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks in recent years linked to California’s lettuce production regions, particularly the most recent three outbreaks in the fall of 2019 which collectively resulted in 188 people falling ill. In response, FDA launched an investigation, the findings of which are outlined in a report released in May 2020. The FDA also published a Leafy Green STEC Action Plan to address issues associated with leafy green Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) contamination. This new longitudinal study is included in the action plan, as well as the continuation of a similar study being conducting in the Yuma, Arizona, growing region.

    A key component of the Leafy Green STEC Action Plan is the need to address knowledge gaps in order to advance prevention. The multi-year study will examine how pathogens survive and move through the environment and possibly contaminate produce through work with water quality, food safety, and agricultural experts from the Western Center for Food Safety, representatives from various agriculture industries, and members of the leafy greens industry.

    Research teams will be collecting and examining samples from the environment including adjacent land, well and surface waters, soil inputs that include compost, dust and animal fecal samples.

    The California Central Coast region grows a significant portion of the nation’s leafy greens. The findings from this study will contribute new knowledge on how various environmental factors may influence bacterial persistence and distribution in this region, and how those factors may impact the risk of leafy greens becoming contaminated. Results from this collaboration will lead to improved practices to prevent or mitigate food safety risks, and ultimately enhance the safety of leafy greens grown in California.

  • U.S. Dairy Exports to Benefit from New USDA-FDA Partnership

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will establish an interagency process to further support exports of U.S. dairy products. Both agencies play critical roles in facilitating foreign sales of American-made dairy products, which is recognized and appreciated by the U.S. dairy industry. This MOU will draw upon the expertise of FDA as well as USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to deepen and streamline their work together on the issues facing dairy exports to the benefit of U.S. dairy farmers and manufacturers.

    The MOU, a project underway within the agencies since 2017, is designed to maximize efficiency in the U.S. government’s support for U.S. dairy export requests from foreign governments by outlining each agency’s primary areas of responsibility for dairy exports. For example, FDA’s responsibilities as outlined in the MOU focus on ensuring dairy products are safe and liaising with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and foreign governments on relevant food safety questions as necessary. AMS’s responsibilities focus on providing sanitary certificates and other export-related services to dairy exporters, such as export verification programs or facilitating the submission of facility questionnaires to foreign governments as needed. FAS’s responsibilities focus on facilitating sanitary certificate negotiations and liaising with foreign governments on matters related to dairy exports.

    “Today’s announcement of an interagency MOU on dairy trade between USDA and FDA is the result of years of conversation and efforts between stakeholders within the U.S. dairy industry and the U.S. government to establish consistent guidance on tackling the rising number of export challenges facing our industry. This MOU will help our industry continue to grow in an increasingly competitive global environment,” said Tom Vilsack, president and CEO of USDEC.

    “This new partnership ensures that the staff at USDA and FDA are working together in the most efficient way possible to lower barriers for our farmer’s dairy exports. Increasing U.S. dairy exports will strengthen the health of our farmers and rural communities, which is more important than ever as America’s dairy industry faces new and unprecedented challenges. We appreciate all of the hard work from both agencies and stand ready to support the USDA and FDA’s commitment to open new doors for U.S. dairy exports,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF.

    IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M., had this to say about the MOU: “We are excited to share this good news with IDFA’s members across the dairy supply chain. IDFA has been a tireless advocate for this kind of federal agency efficiency and cooperation, and seeing this collaborative effort come to fruition to support U.S. dairy exports is a tremendous accomplishment and a huge value-add for the dairy industry. IDFA appreciates the efforts of USDA and FDA to finalize this MOU and facilitate our industry’s global growth.”

    Beyond individual agency responsibilities, the MOU outlines how the agencies will communicate and collaborate to ensure dairy export markets remain open when new foreign requirements arise requiring the U.S. government’s response, such as recently implemented or revised certificates in China or Taiwan. The MOU also provides a published reference of each agency’s involvement in the export of U.S. dairy products, which will help address questions from foreign governments that may not have previously understood that more than one agency is involved in dairy exports.

    “In recent years, more and more countries have erected obstacles and barriers to U.S. dairy exports, including increasingly complex requirements for statements, certificates, questionnaires, and facility listings,” said Dykes. “While the U.S. government opposes overly burdensome requirements on behalf of U.S. food and agricultural exporters, U.S. officials are barraged with an influx of requests from foreign governments that make it increasingly difficult for all U.S. parties.  This MOU keeps our dairy industry and U.S. government a step ahead, positioning U.S. dairy for growth by streamlining roles and resources already in place.”

    In 2019, the United States exported $5.9 billion in dairy products, one of the strongest years on record for dairy exports. The MOU is effective immediately and can be reviewed here.

  • Update on Produce Safety Rule Exemption for Winegrape Growers

    SACRAMENTO – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday it will use
    its discretion and not enforce Produce Safety Rule requirements for growers of winegrapes.

    The agency’s announcement follows continued efforts by the California Association of Winegrape Growers
    (CAWG) to exempt winegrapes from the Produce Safety Rule. CAWG worked with the Oregon Winegrowers
    Association and Washington Winegrowers Association to obtain the exemption.

    FDA also announced it will exercise enforcement discretion with almonds, hops and pulse crops.

    “This is great news for winegrape growers,” CAWG President John Aguirre said. “FDA recognizes the fact that
    winegrapes are not consumed raw and winegrape growers should be exempted from the Produce Safety Rule.
    CAWG will continue to work with Congress and FDA to make sure this exemption remains intact.”
    Additional information from FDA:

    FDA in Brief
    https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm634549.htm
    Constituent Update
    https://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm634253.htm
    Guidance
    https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/UCM634248.htm
    Media contacts:
     John Aguirre, (916) 379-8995, john@cawg.org
     Meredith Ritchie, (916) 984-4473, meredith@cawg.org

  • Salmonella – The Most Common Bacterial Foodborne Disease

    Salmonella – we all know it’s bad for us but why? What is it? Where does it come from? Why
    should we care? Does my company have a plan in place if something tests positive?
    With all the news lately about one recall after another, it is easy to be tormented with endless
    questions. I am here to tell you that with a food safety plan and proper testing, Salmonella is a threat that
    you can handle.

    Background of Salmonella

    Salmonella is one of the most difficult foodborne pathogens to eliminate. Not correctly
    dealing with the pathogen is harmful to your company’s reputation and pocketbook.
    According to an annual study done by Food Safety News, foodborne illness in the United
    States has an annual estimated cost of $77.7 to $152 billion, not including reduced customer
    confidence, recall losses, litigation or the cost from public health agencies who respond to the
    outbreak (8).

    Salmonella itself is a motile, facultative anaerobe bacterium which causes salmonellosis. That
    means that Salmonella is a fast-moving bacterium, that can survive with or without oxygen,
    and causes Salmonellosis (Salmonella infection). Salmonellosis is the way to describe being
    symptomatically infected by Salmonella.

    Salmonella was first isolated in 1885 by an assistant to American scientist, Dr. Daniel Salmon.
    Since then, scientists have discovered many different variations (~2,500 serotypes) of
    Salmonella which can cause infection. The bacteria cause illness for 4 to 7 days. In some cases,
    Salmonella can escape from the intestines and enter the bloodstream. Once in the
    bloodstream, it infects other body sites causing severe infections. Children under the age of
    five, elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are most likely to have severe
    infections. Research has shown that Salmonella infections are more likely to occur during the
    summer months. Therefore extra care must be taken from May thru August to prevent
    outbreaks in your facility.

    Illustration from Food Safety News

    By the Numbers
    In 2018 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated:

    • 1,027,567 cases of Salmonella
    • 19,336 resulted in hospitalizations
    • 378 of cases resulted in death
    • Roughly 13% of all foodborne deaths come from Salmonella

    How Do You Become Infected?

    Salmonella is in raw and undercooked eggs, poultry, meat, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts,
    water, and unpasteurized dairy products. To grow, Salmonella colonizes in the intestines of
    animals and spreads through feces. Humans can also spread the pathogen. Not washing
    hands after a bowel movement followed by direct contact with another person, touching a
    surface, or preparing food leads to transmission. If you think not washing your hands is the
    only cause, you thought wrong. Water infected with the bacteria can provide an optimum
    environment for growth. When contaminated water spreads onto irrigate crops, the final
    product delivers the bacteria into the consumers home.

    Why Test for Salmonella?

    • Public health impact (deaths, hospitalizations)
    • Contamination in water (Adulteration of the food supply chain)
    • Company Reputation (Loss of consumer confidence)
    • Recalls, FDA Investigations (Time and lost money, black mark on company name)
    • Economic loss (Bankruptcy, cost of finding recalled product)
    • Lawsuits, prison sentences (Selling food known/unknown to be positive

    As you can see, Salmonella has a genuine impact on the longevity of a business.

    2018 Salmonella Outbreaks and Cost:

    Map

    How to Prevent Salmonella:

    The easiest way to prevent Salmonella in products is by having good manufacturing
    practices, washing hands, and testing.

    Washing your hands is the easiest way to help prevent the spread of Salmonella. Besides
    washing your hands, testing your product for Salmonella is standard practice for most
    companies. Both Safe Food Alliance Lab locations have years of experience helping
    companies test for Salmonella. With Safe Food Alliance, results are readily available 48 to 72
    hours after receipt. If you would like to send in a sample of your commodity for analysis, click
    here.

    Safe Food Alliance utilizes methods validated by the Association of Official Agricultural
    Chemists (AOAC), a group closely linked to the FDA and the USDA. If you receive a positive
    result, confirmation steps are taken to provide you with even more confidence that the
    samples are accurate. All testing is done according to industry standards.

    Another method for detection of Salmonella is testing via swabbing at the facility. Swabbing
    ensures that proper sanitation processes are being met and helps avoid cross-contamination.
    Environmental swabs also detect the pathogen on the surfaces of machinery, walls, floors, or
    anywhere else in your facility. This type of testing needs to be done regularly and at various
    locations. So don’t let it slip by! To learn more about getting swabs for testing, please contact
    Kyla Ihde at kylai@safefoodalliance.com.

    Safe Food Alliance is currently offering an Environmental Monitoring online class which
    outlines the swabbing process and guidelines. For more information about the online course,
    please visit https://academy.safefoodalliance.com/.

  • What is FDA Detention and What Do We Do About it?

    Detention; a word associated with childhood pranks, the principal’s office, guilt, and remorse. In a similar fashion, receiving notice from the United States (US) government that your facility’s products have been detained can also trigger those negative childhood emotions.

    FDA Detention Explained

    Detention occurs when products entering the US are refused entry; either by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or the US Customs and Border Patrol, acting on the FDA’s behalf. These detentions occur because the FDA has reason to believe that the products do not conform to US laws and regulations. The specific issues that can cause detention include:

    • adulteration/contamination
    • mislabeled or misbranded product
    • manufacturing
    • processing or packing under unsanitary conditions
    • importing products that are forbidden for sale

    Some of these detentions are the result of the FDA’s Import Alert List. This list is based upon FDA surveillance of imported products and detected patterns of noncompliance. Most listings take the form of a Red List Import Alert, in which specific firms from a certain country have a pattern of non-compliance and thus are added to the Alert. Once listed, any future products imported from that firm will be detained without physical examination (DWPE). Such products will be detained by the FDA until it can be shown that they are safe and meet pre-approved standards.

    In Action

    In some cases, Red List Import Alerts apply to products from an entire country. In 2007, the FDA traced pet deaths in the US to melamine contamination of wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China. During the investigation, more than 150 brands of pet food were recalled as a result of the mislabeled ingredient. Melamine, a molecule used as an industrial binding agent, flame retardant, and fertilizer, caused over 17,000 consumer complaints, 1950 deaths of cats and 2200 deaths of dogs. The devastating mistake resulted in Import Alert # 99-29 “Detention without Physical Examination of All Vegetable Protein Products from China for Animal or Human Food Use Due to the Presence of Melamine and/or Undeclared Colors”.  Districts were directed to detain all shipments with vegetable protein products to prevent the products from continuing to contaminate pet foods. Since this import alert was issued, over twenty Chinese firms producing these products have been added to the Green List, meaning they have met the compliance requirements of the FDA and are no longer subject to DWPE.

    Applying The Rule

    Any firm importing food products from abroad is strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the FDA Import Alert List. The list can be searched by country, industry, alert number and last published date. Within each alert, the details of the product types, firms subject to DWPE, and the specific product violations related to the alert are listed. Notices may indicate DWPE with surveillance, meaning that the FDA will be doing spot inspection and testing of those products.

    Key Alerts for Detention without Physical Examination are:

    • aflatoxin in food products (#23-14)
    • pesticides in raw agricultural commodities (#99-05)
    • and in processed foods (#99-15)
    • Salmonella in food products (#99-19)
    • sulfites in food products (#99-21)

    Reviewing this list allows you to make an informed choice of which firms to do business with and what types of product testing or evaluations to require from the seller prior to shipment. This can prevent the headache associated with a detained shipment, saving you time and money.

    At Safe Food Alliance, we have been handling FDA product detentions for over a decade. Product detention in our facility primarily involves adulteration and contamination. In terms of specific issues cited in the detentions that have been examined by Safe Food Alliance, aflatoxin has been the most common (45%), followed by pesticides (19%), pathogens (16%), quality/filth (16%) and claims of organoleptic issues/rancidity (2%). The remaining 2% of cases have involved mislabeling due to sulfite residues. Tree nuts, dried fruits, and seeds/seed pastes are the commodities which having the most violations.

    fda detention chart

    The most common example we encounter is tree nuts that fail to pass the importing nations’ aflatoxin limits and are returned to California. The FDA will typically notify the “responsible parties” of the violation by issuing a Notice of FDA Action. In our tree nut example, this is usually the handler or broker who originally shipped the load and to whom it has been returned.

    How To Handle An FDA Notice

    Step 1: If you receive a notice read it immediately and carefully!

    Step 2: Understand the terminology

    Hearing – A hearing is your opportunity to present evidence, or testimony, to overcome the appearance of a violation and to give FDA confidence that the product is in compliance. The hearing will vary from a series of email or telephone conversations to a more formal meeting.  The hearing officer is generally the FDA compliance officer listed on the Notice of Detention and Hearing.

    Testimony – Testimony is any information you wish to submit to overcome the appearance of the violation, or to otherwise support the release of your product.  Testimony should be provided to the contact that is listed on the Notice of FDA Action, usually a compliance officer.

    Charges – Charges are the reason the shipment has been detained by the FDA. Reasons include adulteration, misbranding, and restricted for sale.

    Respond by Date – The “respond by” date is the amount of time to provide testimony. If the FDA does not receive a response to the detention within the specified timeframe, the compliance officer can issue a refusal of admission.

    Definitions from https://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ImportProgram/ActionsEnforcement/ucm459476.htm

    Step 3: Create a plan

    The Notice of FDA Action will cite the specific laws and regulations that appear to have been violated and are known as the charges. The FDA allows the responsible party the chance to either submit evidence to overcome the charges or submit a request to recondition the product to correct the violation. If you choose to submit evidence, known as testimony, it must be provided by the specific date listed on the Notice. This respond by date is typically 10 business days/20 calendar days from the detention date. Such testimony is typically provided in emails, telephone calls and/or hard copies and is addressed to the FDA Compliance Officer listed on the Notice. This process is known as the hearing.

    In the case of our ill-fated tree nut shipment, the testimony will typically take the form of product sampling and testing, to show that the products meet US limits for aflatoxin and can be allowed entry. In this case, it is critical that our laboratory is notified immediately so that we can begin the process of getting the products cleared.

    Step 4: Get your product tested

    It is of critical importance to work with a laboratory that has experience with FDA detention. If the analytical package is not prepared according to the FDA’s strict protocol and does not meet their standards for sampling and testing it will be rejected, delaying the process even further. Choosing to work with Safe Food Alliance provides you with everything you need to be successful. The testimony that Safe Food Alliance provides is more than a typical laboratory result. In addition to the regular results, you receive details about quality assurance, methods validations, technician training, and sampling plans.

    Note: It may not be possible to have your lab report completed by the initial response date given by FDA, in which case a request for extension must be made by the responsible party.

    What if the product fails to pass the testing process? The responsible party can submit a request to recondition the product to bring it into compliance. In our example, that might involve resorting the product to remove any moldy/damaged nuts. This would then be followed by the same sampling, testing and reporting process we described above. If the product still fails to pass, then your options are either to work with FDA and Customs/Border Protection to export the product from the US or destroy it. This product disposition must be completed within 90 days.

    Step 5: Submit Your Testimony

    If the testimony shows that the product is in compliance (in our example, the aflatoxin is below 20 parts per billion), then the data package is submitted for review and the wait begins for FDA to clear the product. This process can take several weeks; FDA may also request additional information from the responsible party and the laboratory.

    If this seems like a bureaucratic maze, you are right! The most important thing to remember is to read the notice immediately and gather all the facts you can about the detention. Next, reach out to the FDA Compliance Officer and determine exactly what is expected from you and when.

    Safe Food Alliance laboratories should be your next contact. The most common problem we encounter is that we are not contacted soon enough when our client receives their FDA Notice, resulting in insufficient time to assemble all of the evidence and triggering a panicked request for an extension. Tell us exactly what you have found out from the FDA and we can plan the next steps of sampling, testing and reporting the results that will clear your product. Remember, it is critical that the correct steps are taking when sampling and testing or the data will be rejected. Count on us to walk you through the process, and stop worrying about the principal’s office!

  • California Department of Food and Agriculture Seeks Bids for Grower Food Safety Training

    Sacramento, Calif., (October 5, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking a contractor to provide food safety training for California produce growers.  Interested parties can learn more and submit proposals through a Request for Proposals (RFP) that has been posted by the Department on the Cal eProcure website. Proposals are due October 16, 2017.

    “The Department has received funding for 2018 in the amount of $450,000 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” explained Natalie Krout-Greenberg, Director of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division.  “The funds are meant to provide farmers with affordable access to food safety training courses required under new FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) laws.”

    The Division is working with the FDA to bring produce farmers in California into compliance with FSMA, which becomes effective January 2018.  More than 20,000 produce farms in California are expected to be covered under what is called the Produce Safety Rule, one of several sections of the new law. As part of this Rule, each of these 20,000 farms must employ at least one individual who has completed an approved food safety training course.

    To facilitate the training, CDFA has divided the state into four regions. Contractors who submit proposals must provide a plan to conduct classes in each region. Classes must be open to any grower who wishes to attend and the course curriculum must be accredited by the Produce Safety Alliance, located at Cornell University.

    Much more detailed information is available in the official RFP, which can be accessed by registering atwww.caleprocure.ca.gov and searching for bids under Department Number 8570.  The official RFP title is “Environmental Auditing Unit, Standardized Grower Training” and there are four different RFPs – one for each training region. A hard copy of the RFPs can also be accessed by contacting Valerie Roberts, Contract Analyst at (916) 403-6518.

  • Update on Wine Grape Exemption Status from FSMA

    Unfortunately, wine grapes have been looped into FDA’s Produce Safety Rule in the Food Safety Modernization Act, in spite of the fact that they are not consumed fresh off the vine. The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) has been employing every effort in fighting the unreasonable regulations associated with this, and working to get an exemption. Watch this brief video interview with John Aguirre, President of the association as he provides an update on their progress at the CAWG summer conference in Napa.

  • CAWG Seeks Winegrape Exemption from Produce Safety Rule

    SACRAMENTO, June 20, 2017 – The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) has requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exempt winegrapes from its produce safety rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and place them on a list of produce commodities rarely consumed raw. The action would exempt growers and wineries from having to comply with unnecessary and burdensome requirements and paperwork under the rule.

    On June 15, CAWG President John Aguirre sent a letter and 10-page white paper to FDA detailing CAWG’s request. More than 30 commodities, such as potatoes and asparagus, are listed as rarely consumed raw and thus exempt from the produce safety rule. FDA determined these commodities are nearly always cooked or otherwise processed before consumption, thus eliminating risks of foodborne illness. CAWG argued that winegrapes are also not grown, harvested or sold to consumers for fresh consumption; they are almost universally grown and sold for processing into wine. As such, winegrapes should also be exempt from the produce safety rule.

    Currently, winegrape growers can only obtain an exemption from the produce safety rule by adhering to specific notice and assurance requirements under the rule’s processing exemption. Beginning with the 2018 harvest, FDA will require growers provide written notice with each load of winegrapes shipped that the grapes have not been processed. Starting in 2020, wineries will need to provide assurance to growers that the winegrapes received were indeed processed into wine. Growers are required to maintain a record of these notice and assurance transactions for up to two years. Failure to follow these steps precisely may invalidate the processing exemption and force winegrape growers to comply with the many provisions of the produce safety rule.

    “When FDA published its produce safety rule, the agency acknowledged that making wine from grapes effectively eliminates any risk of foodborne illness that might occur with raw grapes,” Aguirre said. “However, FDA failed to include winegrapes on the list of commodities rarely consumed raw because the agency feared growers of cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay and other varietals may sell those grapes for fresh consumption. Our letter to FDA should provide sufficient information for the agency to determine that California winegrapes are distinct from table and raisin type grapes and are rarely consumed raw.”

    CAWG director Mike Testa, of Coastal Vineyard Care, said, “It’s absurd to think that a Santa Barbara County winegrape grower would sell pinot noir or chardonnay grapes into fresh table or raisin grape market channels. All commercial winegrape production in Santa Barbara County, as in many other California counties, is destined for a fermentation tank. FDA’s produce safety rule should acknowledge that and exempt winegrapes.”

     

     

    Media contact:

    • John Aguirre, (916) 379-8995, john@cawg.org