Meetings continue for national leafy greens marketing agreement

USDA has scheduled 7 hearings during September and October on a proposed marketing agreement for leafy green vegetables. A cross-section of producers and handlers from the produce industry proposed the establishment of a marketing agreement to facilitate the practical application of Good Ag Practices, Good Handling Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines published by the U.S. FDA. The goal of the agreement is to reduce the risk of food safety problems related to leafy greens, such as E. coli. If established, only handlers who sign on to the marketing agreement would be subject to the requirements of the accord. Signatory handlers could only handle domestic or imported leafy green vegetables that meet the program’s requirements. At the Sept. 22-24 hearing in Monterey, Calif., Joe Pezzini, CEO of Ocean Mist Farms, testified that the agreement would provide uniformity in the industry. California and Arizona are currently the only states that have agreements. Buyers of Calif.-grown leafy greens come from producers who have signed the agreement.