Desperately Seeking Traceability

As of this writing, more than 1,400 people have fallen ill from Salmonella Saintpaul first believed to be linked to tomatoes, and now to jalapeño and serrano peppers. In July, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, and the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held separate hearings to address the issue of traceability in fresh produce.

In his opening statement, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, said, in part, “Today, we must not only explore the failures of the FDA and CDC, but also what industry can and should do to improve traceability of its products.”

Representing FDA, Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods, stated that “traceback investigations involving fresh produce are more difficult because the food is perishable and is usually no longer available for testing by the time consumers become ill.” Further, he noted that fresh fruits and vegetables are usually sold loose, without packaging that might provide information as to the source of the produce. In this particular case, he said, tomatoes from different sources were shipped to washing, packing and repacking facilities, further complicating traceability.

Despite the recent outbreak, the produce industry is well armed with knowledge regarding traceability procedures. In 2007, FDA issued a “Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables,” as well as a “Guide to Traceback of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Implicated in Epidemiological Investigations,” which is used by FDA investigators. Further, according to Acheson, “FDA assisted the Florida Tomato Commission and the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in the development of Florida’s Tomato Best Practices Manual,” which formed the basis of the State of Florida’s tomato safety rule.

In her statement, Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), spoke of her work on traceback legislation, H.R. 3485, the “TRACE Act,” which would, she said, “require the USDA and FDA to set up a food product traceability system that would track foods at all points along the supply chain. Not only is this legislation technologically feasible and cost effective, but it’s absolutely critical. In my opinion, we cannot begin to address updating our nation’s food safety laws without looking at the ability to track our food.”