ATLANTA — As the nation’s fourth-biggest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables, Georgia opinions could carry some weight as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers regulations stemming from the deaths of more than 30 people who ate contaminated cantaloupe in 2011.
Wednesday, growers, packers and wholesalers from across the state offered feedback to the FDA’s deputy commissioner, Mike Taylor, and a pair of safety offices with the agency.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black facilitated what he called a listening session in his office and with video feeds to Macon, Gainesville and Tifton.
“My primary concern about the end product is that we do not have a new, regulatory system that puts additional burdens on domestic producers that are not equal to what we require of those that are importing into this country,” he said.
Georgia’s fresh-fruit-and-vegetable producers earn $1.2 billion at the farm gate, generating an every bigger impact at the wholesale and retail level. Black doesn’t want the state’s industry to be at a disadvantage.
Growers are critical of the proposed requirements for frequent testing of creeks and streams used for irrigation, limits on the use of fresh manure as fertilizer, fencing to keep out wildlife and complex standards for private companies that inspect farms for proper food-handling techniques.
Farmers do worry about food safety and don’t want anyone getting sick from eating, according to Charles Hall, executive director of the 500-member Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. But they also don’t want to be saddled with unnecessary rules when current practices have been proven safe.
“There are significant data and research gaps regarding on-farm-produce safety and preventative controls which makes finalization of FDA produce-safety rules difficult, and a significant investment in our own on-farm research will be required,” he said.
FDA originally proposed even stricter rules in 2013 but relaxed them in the new proposal after getting 15,000 written comments. Taylor said that was the reason for the listening sessions.
“We will learn from this, and it’s important to get first-hand information from you,” he told those in Atlanta to make comments.
The deadline for submitting written comments on the latest version is Dec. 15. Taylor predicted the final rule will be issued in August.
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