US: Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force formed

The Arizona and California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements, the Produce Marketing Association, the United Fresh Produce Association, Western Growers, and other stakeholders in the produce industry announced the formation of a Leafy Greens Food Safety Task Force designed to assess and address issues associated with recent foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to consumption of leafy greens.

California and Arizona produce over 50 billion servings of leafy greens every year to American consumers. The leafy greens community shares a common goal to strengthen the way our food is grown, harvested and distributed. The purpose of this Task Force is to sharpen food safety systems through the entire supply chain.

Task Force Membership will include representatives of:

Growers from Arizona, California and other production regions
Shippers and processors from Arizona, California and other production regions
Produce industry and related trade associations
State and local government agencies
Scientists and researchers
Consumer advocacy
The buyer community

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will be involved on a collaborative basis, serving as technical and informational advisors to the task force.

Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture