LGMA’s Take On The Final Produce Safety Rule

Posted by Rosemary Gordon|November 30, 2015

Those at the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) are going through the final Produce Rule to make sure the organization’s food safety requirements meet or exceed what’s in this new law, according to information on the LGMA website.

According to the organization, there are a few things it would like to clarify:

The LGMA does not want exemptions. For growers and handlers of leafy greens in California the new law will result in very little change.
The LGMA is committed to aligning with the new law. As the group reviews the final Produce Rule, it will determine if there is anything in the LGMA program that doesn’t match-up. If that is the case, the organization will have the ability to change its requirements to make sure it is in compliance.
The LGMA can help with verification of compliance for California leafy greens. FDA is now focused on determining how to verify that farms are in compliance with the new laws. Currently, FDA has not determined how inspections needed to verify compliance will be implemented or funded. According to LGMA, its program can serve as a vehicle to verify compliance with FSMA for California leafy greens because it operates with USDA and California Department of Food and Agriculture oversight, utilizes government auditors, and it is fully funded with no cost to tax payers.

LGMA also says it is glad to see that in the final rule kale is no longer exempt from the requirements. Food safety measures have long been in place at most U.S. produce farms, and certainly for all California leafy greens.