Tomato food safety protocol released

United Fresh Produce Assoc. has released the Food Safety Programs and Auditing Protocol for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain, 2009. The food safety protocol identifies policies and practices that the fresh tomato industry expects its facilities to have in place to minimize the microbiological hazards associated with fresh and fresh-cut tomato production and handling.
Developed from United Fresh’s 2008 2nd edition of the Commodity Specific Guidelines for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain, the 2009 document includes 4 sets of tomato food safety protocols: Greenhouse; Open Field Production, Harvest and Field Packing; Packinghouse; and Repacking and Distribution. Each set contains auditable requirements, or “items,” that the protocol developers concluded should be attainable and in place for any North American fresh tomato operation, regardless of region, size, growing practice or sub-commodity handled. Additionally, each protocol is accompanied by a checklist which provides an audit format that auditors can use to assess and record compliance.
“This document will be a valuable asset for the fresh and fresh-cut tomato industry in terms of reducing confusion and conflicting expectations,” said David Gombas, United Fresh senior vice president of food safety and technology and corresponding editor of the document. “We found that multiple stakeholders in the tomato industry were unsure of what constituted “compliance”.  By bringing together a critical mass from the U.S. and Mexico fresh tomato supply chain, including suppliers, customers and representatives of FDA and USDA, the industry was able to come to consensus on what was reasonable and attainable by growers and handlers, and also satisfied customers’ expectations.”
The next step, which has already begun, is a training course for government and private sectors auditors in how to perform audits according to the harmonized tomato food safety protocol.