LGMA Adopts More Than 50 New Food-Safety Requirements

The Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement’s (LGMA) Advisory Boards for both California and Arizona announced an ambitious update to their already rigorous food safety requirements. There are more than 50 new mandatory practices, although many of these fall into the category of strengthening previous standards.

These updates follow a series of deadly E. coli outbreaks that took place from 2017 to 2019. Contaminated romaine sickened close to 500 people and seven people died.

Here are five important changes LGMA called out:

1. (New Requirement) Treat water used during overhead application of pesticides and crop protection materials to eliminate pathogens during the 21 days before harvest.
2. (Enhancement) Test water used in farming leafy greens and collect samples throughout the irrigation systems used in leafy greens fields.
3. (Enhancement) Minimize the risk of furrow irrigation water from coming into contact with any edible portion of the leafy greens plant.
4. (Updated) Cleaning harvest equipment, containers, tools and bathroom facilities in and near leafy greens fields.
5. (Enhancement) New language designed to prevent the cut end of leafy greens product from coming into contact with the ground during harvest.