California Ag Network

Tag: Produce Safety Rule

  • Produce Safety Trainings set for Jan/Feb

    Tulare, Calif., (January 4, 2018) – Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS) has partnered with Safe Food Alliance (SFA) through a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) contract to provide Food Safety Modernization (FSMA)-required Produce Safety Trainings for Central and Southern California growers for an low price of $35 per attendee.

    • Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule.
    • Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an official certificate from the Association of Food & Drug Officials.

    Scheduled upcoming trainings:

    • January 16, DoubleTree Hotel, 2333 Ventura St., Fresno
    • January 17, International Agri-Center, 4500 S. Laspina St., Tulare
    • January 24, Madera Golf & Country Club, 23200 Avenue 17, Madera
    • February 12, Swan Court Conference Center, 2950 Pea Soup Anderson Blvd., Selma
    • February 19, SPANISH, DoubleTree Hotel, 2233 Ventura St., Fresno
    • February 20, SPANISH, International Agri-Center, 4500 S. Laspina St., Tulare

    All trainings will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an 8 a.m. registration time. Click here to register for a training near you. For additional information, contact SFA at 916-561-5672 or info@foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com.

  • 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.

  • Progress on Winegrape Exemption from FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule

    Sacramento, Calif., (July 21, 2017) – The Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 20 approved a bill that funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for fiscal year 2018. The appropriations bill includes an important statement of policy urging FDA to distinguish between grape varietals so that growers of winegrapes may be eligible for exemption or exclusion from the Food Safety Modernization Act’s produce safety rule.

    The committee’s report language complements language in the House of Representatives agricultural appropriations bill, which urged FDA to initiate a process to distinguish between grape varietals so that winegrape growers may be exempted from the produce safety rule.

    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) on June 15 submitted a formal request to FDA to exempt winegrapes from the produce safety rule on the basis that they are rarely consumed raw. More than 30 other commodities are exempt from the rule because they are nearly always cooked or processed before consumption, thus eliminating the risk of foodborne illnesses. CAWG provided FDA and various members of the California congressional delegation a 10-page white paper detailing the justification for the winegrape exemption.

    Starting in 2018, FDA’s produce safety rule requires most commercial growers of winegrapes to document, through a burdensome exchange of notice and assurance with buyers, that the harvested grapes have in fact been processed into wine. Growers must keep records of this exchange, for every load shipped, for a two-year period. Failure to adhere to these requirements could result in winegrape growers having to comply with other aspects of the produce safety rule, which is intended to ensure the safety of raw produce.

    “The fact is that California winegrape varietals are rarely consumed raw and FDA should categorically exempt them from the produce safety rule,” CAWG President John Aguirre said.

    Wine Institute, Napa Valley Vintners and Washington Winegrowers Association have joined CAWG in support of this effort. “We will continue to work closely with other industry organizations to press FDA to change its policy,” Aguirre said.

  • 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