- Activist Group Misrepresents
Facts About Safety of Produce
- Dr. Donna Garren
United Fresh Fruit
& Vegetable Association
Once again an activist group is misrepresenting the facts about food safety to scare the public. It’s time for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USDA and other responsible parties to set the record straight. Fresh produce is a wonderfully healthy and safe choice for all Americans.
Produce growers, shippers, wholesalers and retailers are committed to offering only the safest and healthiest produce items to consumers. Our industry has an intense commitment to on-farm food safety, and safety throughout distribution and handling, all in conformance with the most demanding scientific principles. We have worked closely with the FDA, USDA and other authorities to develop produce-specific guidelines for Good Agricultural Practices, and have an extensive educational outreach program and audit system in place to make sure all parts of the industry are following these guidelines.
Unfortunately, because produce is often consumed raw, in rare cases foodborne illness can be tracked to consuming produce. Experts agree that most often these cases are caused by cross-contamination with meat or other items close to point-of-sale or in food preparation at commissaries or in foodservice establishments. Even so, out of over one billion servings a day of fruits and vegetables, the incidence of foodborne illness is incredibly low. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) does a tremendous disservice to national health by scaring people about fresh produce simply to advance their own political agenda advocating for a single food safety agency. The ends certainly do not justify the means, and the CSPI report is either incredibly uninformed or purposefully dishonest in its attempt to attribute the rare incidents of illness to on-farm practices.
The most important single dietary advice from the federal government and health authorities today is to eat more produce for better health. We are extremely disappointed that CSPI, an ally in America’s fight for good nutrition, would be so short-sighted as to promote this fear-mongering report. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Editor’s note: Dr. Donna Garren, vice president, scientific and technical affairs for the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association wrote this message in response to the publication of Outbreak Alert 2002, issued by CSPI.
