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- Head Grower - Morehead (KY) USA
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- Greenhouse Installation Specialist - Hallam, Victoria, Australia
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"Tweeting Growers"
Top 5 -yesterday
- What is the cost of vertical farming?
- Horticulture lighting metrics: Understand grow lights
- "We can sleep easy knowing the system is working well and alerting us if there is any issue"
- £3 million capital raise for LED supplier
- "Our goal is to supply growers only with technique that is of use to them"
Top 5 -last week
Top 5 -last month
Food Safety
Exporting substandard vegetables and chillies
Uganda bans chilli exports to European Union
The European Union has welcomed the Ugandan government's self-imposed ban on the export of chillies and substandard vegetables to Europe, saying it was beginning to spoil the…
FDA sampling of fresh herbs, guacamole and processed avocado
As of January 1, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tested 747 fresh herb samples (441 domestic, 306 import), and 526 processed avocado or guacamole samples (435…
European tomato contact group
Battling New Delhi, Tuta absoluta and ToBRFV
New Delhi, Tuta absoluta and ToBRFV - these are the phytosanitary emergencies discussed by the table tomato contact group that has met in Ragusa on 4th and 5th April 2019. Guido Grasso from Confagricoltura briefly illustrated the history of each pathogen and stressed how ToBRFV is easily transmitted via…
US: Retailer demands and the Food Safety Modernization Act
Foodborne illness linked to contaminated produce is a public health concern. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in 2011, is the Federal Government’s most recent effort to reduce the risk of microbial contamination that can cause human illness. The law’s “Standards for Growing,…
Swiss and Finnish checks detect Listeria
Independent testing in Finland and Switzerland of a variety of products detected Listeria monocytogenes last year. However, no samples contained the pathogen at levels above…
Labor Chamber Upper Austria:
Ready-made salad failed the tests
Six out of ten ready-to-eat salads in the supermarket have been contaminated by yeast and mold fungus, according to consumer protection surveys by the Upper Austrian Labor…
EFSA provides dedicated support for small and medium-sized enterprises
EFSA has launched new support initiatives dedicated to applicants from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs will now be able to access support from EFSA when…
US (CA): New officers and board members elected to guide LGMA
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement elected a new slate of officers and welcomed several new Advisory Board members elected by the leafy greens producer to guide the food safety program’s activities. Stepping into the role as Chairman of the Board is Dan Sutton, General Manager of…
US (CA): Leafy greens industry continues to develop new metrics for water
Responding to issues of the past year, the leafy greens industry is continuing to address required water standards, particularly those related to use of surface waters. The LGMA is committed to strengthening its required food safety practices for all certified LGMA members who produce 99% of the leafy…
"Deeper scrutiny of plant and microbe interactions key for food safety"
The complex landscape of plants and microbe interaction means that food safety specialists should consider fine detail and cannot generalise when carrying out risk assessments, new research by James Hutton Institute scientists has shown. Fresh produce is an important vehicle for transmission of…
US: Free online food safety liability training
Farm Commons is offering Cultivate Legal Resilience through Food Safety Law , a free, online course, until April 30, 2019. Through this self-paced course, farmers will learn…
Dirty Dozen? Not so fast…
Each year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) issues a list of foods – the so-called ‘ Dirty Dozen ’ – which it considers to have the highest pesticide residues. 2019’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ list, released on April 10, includes several crops produced in New York including strawberries, apples, grapes, kale, spinach, peaches, pears,…
Yuma, Arizona
US: Romaine growers hopeful harvest will end without issues
Elston Grubaugh, general manager of the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District in the eastern Yuma growing area describes his mood about the current romaine lettuce…
"Washing salad might in fact be riskier than not washing it"
Most people give a bagged salad a quick rinse with tap water before they eat it, just to get rid of pesticides or bugs. But according to new research, washing a salad might be making you more likely to get ill, not less. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità , the research arm of the Italian National Health…
Modification of the existing maximum residue levels for pyridaben in tomatoes and aubergines
In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the applicant Nissan Chemical Europe S.A.S. submitted a request to the competent national authority in the…
What gets measured (and analysed) gets managed
Going beyond quality inspection
New Zealand is known as a producer of high-quality horticultural produce. Exporters source these products from growers and packhouses but do not see individual lines prior to export. The task of independent quality inspection and assessment of the product falls to specialist assessors such as The AgriChain Centre. The AgriChain…
EU auditors: ‘Organic controls have improved, but more can be done’
The control system for organic products in the EU has improved in recent years, but challenges remain, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors. Further action is needed on remaining weaknesses in the member states and on the supervision of imports as well as on product traceability,…
Romaine Task Force labeling advisory update
The LGMA has shared an update from the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California : A work group within the Romaine Task Force has updated the voluntary packaging labeling guidance for romaine. This labeling was developed to provide consumers easy access to information about harvest regions and…
the French think so
Will "residue-free" label fit between organic & conventional?
When the discussion on organic growing in horticulture often revolves in a soil-or-no-soil-talk, the French choose to not participate in this discussion. The French…
US food safety regulations questioned
Food safety issues unclear as UK nears Brexit
The United Kingdom will lose access to RASFF after Brexit and Britain’s future relationship with EFSA remains unclear, says the British public health minister. Britain’s future trade with US food companies is also uncertain, with some in the UK saying certain food safety practices in the United States…
For fears might contain pieces of metal
UK: Supermarket Booths recalls chopped vegetables
Northern supermarket chain Booths has recalled five of its pre-cut vegetable mixes amid fears they may contain small pieces of metal. Booths - which has most of its branches in Lancashire - has taken its diced red onion, butternut squash & red onion soup mix, diced white onion, minestrone soup mix…
The FSMA Produce Safety Rule: An inspection preview
Food safety inspections on produce farms are beginning this month, but there are still questions as to what the first round of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule inspections will look like. The fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be regulating farms for the first…
New ARC Centre to future-proof Australia's fresh food supply
Supporting an industry increasingly innovated by scientific advancements, the University of Sydney has launched a specialist training hub which will conduct research into food safety and develop methods to safeguard Australia's fruit and vegetable industries. The centre was officially launched at the…
Video: "Microplastics—A Macroproblem"
Emily Ham graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Environmental Geoscience from Brock University in 2017. Currently, Emily is pursuing her Master’s degree in Earth Science at Brock, investigating microplastic levels in local water systems and agricultural soils. The goals of this…
UK: The brexit vegetable survival kit
"Seeds...through time, have always sold better in a crisis", says Paolo Arrigo. It was that belief, coupled with what he saw was a 'gap in the market', which inspired the owner of London-based Franchi Seeds to create a 'Brexit Vegetable Growing Survival Kit'. "We saw on social media that there had been a…
Computer program aids food safety experts with pathogen testing
Cornell scientists have developed a computer program, Environmental Monitoring With an Agent-Based Model of listeria (EnABLe), to simulate the most likely locations in a processing facility where the deadly food-borne pathogen listeria monocytogenes might be found. Food safety managers may then test…
Possible listeria problem Southern Specialties
Listeria in US food facility means recall of veggies sold at Walmart
After learning of a possible listeria problem, Southern Specialties -from Pompano Beach- recalled green beans and butternut squash sold at Walmarts in nine states. The recall announcement on their website says: “Although no actual food product has tested positive for the bacterium, a table surface at the…
But inflation still hurts the common man
Turkish food fight: Fines & raids
Turkey has found that fighting words alone aren’t enough to deter the people it blames for runaway food inflation. After weeks of bashing those marketers they are calling price-gougers, traitors and even terrorists, president Erdogan’s AK Party is backing up threats with deeds. Fines are on the way after…
Vietnam: New food safety measures in agricultural sector
Under Vietnam’s action plan to ensure food safety in the agricultural sector, large-scale production areas for key national products will be expanded this year. Agricultural…
A guide to aquaponics food safety
Aquaponics, producing fish and vegetables in a closed-loop water system, reduces fertilizer use and water discharge, and is therefore promoted as a sustainable venture. But how about the food safety? Widely understood as one of the major challenges of the horticultural industry, there is not an univocal…
USDA GAIN Report
Hong Kong lifts ban on romaine lettuce from California
In the evening of February 19, 2019, the Hong Kong government (HKG) informed the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) Hong Kong, that it would lift its ban on the import and sale of California romaine lettuce effective immediately. In connection with the previous food incidents concerning US romaine…
US (HI): "Combination of hydroponic system with screenhouse produces marketable yields of lettuce"
There have been lots of problems associated with lettuce in the news, from the E. coli outbreaks traced to mainland romaine to local concerns about leafy greens and rat lungworm disease. But Oahu Cooperative Extension offered a great way to eat your greens and feel safe about them, too, at the Hydroponic…
"Hydrogen peroxide sanitizers improve shelf life of produce"
Canadian water treatment company SanEcoTec recently received a Letter of No Objection from Health Canada for the use of its Clean5, Clean25 and Clean50 sanitizers in process water on fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. In process water, the Clean line of products provides a sanitizing…
Statement from FDA on investigation of November '18 outbreak of E. coli in romaine lettuce
"FDA public messages will continue to include farms not responsible for E.coli contamination"
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acted quickly to protect consumers from an emerging outbreak of E.coli O157:H7…
March 11-12, Binghamton
US (NY): Produce Safety Alliance grower training
Are you a farmer interested in produce safety? Are your markets asking for food safety plans or third party verification? Do you want to understand produce safety issues as…
US (GA): Scientists use machine learning to identify source of Salmonella outbreaks
A team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Georgia, has developed a machine-learning approach that could lead to quicker identification of the animal source of certain Salmonella outbreaks. In the research, published in the January 2019 issue…
February 15, Millville
US (NJ): Romaine - What happened and where do we go from here?
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Food Safety Team invites you to attend a Town Hall Meeting to learn the roles of the Food and Drug Administration, New Jersey Department of…
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