'A big step forward'

» February 7, 2007 «

Farm Bureau welcomes approval of leafy-greens handlers marketing agreement

Calling it "a big step forward in enhancing food safety," the leader of the state's largest farm organization welcomed today's announcement that handlers of leafy green vegetables will form a marketing agreement to verify safety standards.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced that enough leafy-greens handlers had committed to the marketing agreement to begin implementing the program. The agreement covers participating companies that handle, process, ship or distribute leafy green vegetables including spinach and lettuce.

California Farm Bureau Federation President Doug Mosebar called approval of the marketing agreement a milestone.

"The quick approval of the marketing agreement shows the commitment farmers and handlers share, to do the right thing in the right way," Mosebar said. "By joining the marketing agreement, handlers reinforce their commitment to consumers to establish best-management practices that can be uniformly used and verified.

"Farm Bureau will continue to work with other farm organizations, government agencies and university specialists to assure that the food-safety program succeeds for everyone involved," Mosebar said. "The health of the people who buy and eat California-grown foods remains our chief concern and we will keep that in mind as we move forward."

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 92,000 members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

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