FDA LETTER TO CANTALOUPE GROWERS RECEIVES RESPONSE

In the wake of a listeria outbreak that’s been linked to the deaths of more than two dozen people, the Food and Drug Administration is asking cantaloupe growers, shippers and processors to follow FDA guidelines.
“In light of this multi-state outbreak of listeriosis associated with consumption of cantaloupe, which CDC has stated is the first listeriosis outbreak associated with melon, the agency believes that it is prudent to encourage members of the cantaloupe industry to review their current operations in the context of a number of FDA guidances and draft guidances that are generally relevant to preventing contamination of fresh cantaloupe with human pathogens,” said Michael Landa in the November letter to the melon industry.
Landa is the FDA’s acting director for the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. In particular, Landa advises growers to pay particular attention to the FDA’s draft guidance to industry titled “Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Melons.” The letter said that draft guidance supplements the Good Agricultural Practice guide and Fresh cut food safety guide issued by the FDA.
“Additionally, the Agency recommends that the cantaloupe industry consider the recommendations in FDA’s draft guidance to industry titled ‘Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Refrigerated or Frozen Ready-To-Eat Foods,’ to the extent those recommendations are relevant to the specific practices used in the fresh cantaloupe industry,” Landa said in the letter. He also praised the cantaloupe industry’s assistance in contributing to the development of the cantaloupe food safety guidance and other food safety measures. In response to the FDA, Steve Patricio, president of cantaloupe shipper Westside Produce, Firebaugh, Calif., and chairman of the Dinuba-based California Cantaloupe Advisory Board, issued a letter to Landa dated Nov. 4.
In the letter, Patricio said the board applauded the FDA’s outreach to the industry and pledged the full support of the California cantaloupe industry to improve the safety of the fruit. In particular, he noted the cantaloupe indsutry has pledged a total of $200,000 in research funding which will be used by the Center for Produce Safety over the next four years to ways to improve the safety of melons.
What’s more, Patricio said that the California cantaloupe industry has begun an immediate review of internal food safety practices. Finally, he said the Center for Produce Safety — in addition to food safety experts at the Produce Marketing Association, Western Growers and United Fresh Produce Association — has begun a process to fully review all research on food safety practices for cantaloupe throughout the world.
“This effort will become the basis of updated regional guidance for melon food safety which will be submitted to FDA as soon as possible,” Patricio said. Source: The Packer