Drew McDonald, vice president of national quality systems for Salinas, Calif.-based Taylor Farms went before the House Agriculture Committee today to discuss food safety. Representing United Fresh as well as Western Growers Association and Produce Marketing Association, McDonald testified as part of a panel convened to discuss the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, which has passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee but has yet to be taken up by the full House.

In his testimony, McDonald spoke about the food safety challenges that Taylor Farms experiences like audit cost and consistency. "One of our greatest challenges today is the lack of consistent and agreed upon standards for food safety audits. Without a government-endorsed standard, the produce industry faces multiple, redundant audits, which in most cases are not interchangeably acceptable to different buyers," he said.

McDonald also spoke of the need for improved accountability and transparency as well as increased communication and collaboration between government and industry. He also spoke about food safety research and the status of current food safety legislation.

"Drew's testimony today is an important step in the push for better and more accountable food safety in America," said United President Tom Stenzel. "Perhaps most importantly, the steps Drew advocated in his testimony are the ones that have long guided our efforts as well: That legislation must allow for a commodity-specific approach, based on the best available science; that it must be consistent and applicable to the identified commodity or commodity sector, no matter where grown or packed in the United States, or imported into the country; and that it must be federally mandated with sufficient federal oversight of compliance in order to be most credible to consumers."