09/21/2009

USDA Hearing on Proposed Leafy Greens Agreement in Columbus Oct. 6

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:

Doug Doohan, Horticulture and Crop Science
doohan.1@osu.edu
330-202-3593

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus is one of just seven cities across the nation to host a public hearing on a proposed national marketing agreement covering the handling of leafy green vegetables.

The Columbus hearing is planned for 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Room D130, 400 North High St. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is holding these hearings to provide the public an opportunity to learn more about the proposal and to offer comments supporting or opposing it.

According to the USDA, the agreement, as proposed, would authorize the development and implementation of production and handling regulations designed to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Good Agricultural Practices, Good Handling Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices in the fresh leafy green vegetable industry. The agreement would be a voluntary program, so only those handlers who sign up with proposed agreement would be regulated.

"The goal is to reduce the risk of food safety problems related to leafy greens, such as the E. coli outbreak that occurred in fresh spinach in 2006," said Doug Doohan, fruit and vegetable specialist with Ohio State University Extension and a leader of the Ohio Roundtable on Safe Production of Fresh Produce. "However, there are big concerns that such an agreement would put small growers at a disadvantage. Ohio has many small growers of leafy greens, and I've heard them express fears that even though this program is voluntary on a federal level, many retailers would likely not accept product from any grower that doesn't join the agreement. That could put some, or many, of our growers out of business, and would likely not increase the safety of the food they supply."

Doohan, who also has an appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, said he hopes many of Ohio's leafy greens growers and other interested parties will express their concerns -- or their support -- of the proposal at the hearing on Oct. 6.

Transcripts of other hearings held before Oct. 6 will be available on the USDA's Web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/moab. In addition, the USDA will video-record hearings held in Monterey, Calif., on Sept. 22-24, and will make the video available for viewing at the same Web site.

More information on the proposal is available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/moab (click on "Proposed - Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.")