The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold two meetings (LINK 1) before the end of the year to address produce traceability. The first will be held in College Park, Md. on October 16 and the second will be in Oakland, Calif. on November 13.  According to a statement on the FDA website, the purpose of the meetings is " ... to stimulate and focus a discussion about mechanisms to enhance product tracing systems for fresh produce and to improve FDA's ability to use the information in such systems to identify the source of contamination associated with fresh produce-related outbreaks of foodborne illness." 

As a key player in the traceability discussion, United Fresh will participate in both meetings, as we have been working closely with the Produce Marketing Association and the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to develop the industry’s Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) action plan. PTI is aimed at enhancing produce traceability through the use of a common language. FDA is aware of the recommendations within PTI and has pledged a continued dialogue with United Fresh and our partners.

At the meetings, FDA hopes to address concerns on specific issues ranging from the scope of traceability and the costs, benefits and logistics of standardization, to FDA's role in enhancing produce traceability.  If you would like to attend the FDA produce traceability meetings, you must register on the FDA website.  Questions about registration, requests to make an oral presentation and submission of written material for the presentation should be directed to Deborah Harris, EDJ Associates.  For more information about any of FDA’s fresh produce activities, contact Dr. David Gombas (LINK 5), United Fresh senior vice president of food safety and technology at 202-303-3400 ext. 411.