Third - Party Audit Programs for the Fresh - Produce Industry - Microbial Safety of Fresh Produce - page 319

17 Third-Party Audit Programs for the

Fresh-Produce Industry

Kenneth S. Petersen

Introduction
Over the past twenty years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
have reported increased incidence of foodborne illnesses linked to fresh produce (U.S.
CDC 2008); buyers of fresh produce are increasingly utilizing both second- and third-
party audits to verify that their suppliers are taking effective precautionary steps to
reduce the risk of microbial contamination of the produce. This chapter looks at the
third-party audit, how it works, and what produce growers should expect when they are
asked to supply a third-party audit to the purchasers of their products.

History
Since the 1960s when the Pillsbury Corporation developed the Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point (HACCP) system for NASA to ensure food safety for manned
space fl ights, third-party audits have been used by companies and the government to
ensure that suppliers are following specifi c food safety practices. In the decades that
followed, third-party audits became common in the processed foods and seafood
industries, but the fresh produce industry generally did not adopt this practice.
With the increased incidence of foodborne illnesses associated with fruits and
vegetables, President Clinton announced a plan entitled Initiative to Ensure the Safety
of Imported and Domestic Fruits and Vegetables . As part of this initiative, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) partnered with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to issue guidance on good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good
manufacturing practices (GMPs) for fresh fruits and vegetables. In October 1998, the
FDA issued the Guidance for Industry—Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety
Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 1998).
It is important to note that the recommendations in the Guide are voluntary, and they
are not enforceable under FDA regulations.
Since the release of the Guide , the FDA in partnership with the produce industry
developed the Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits
and Vegetables (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2008). Additionally, the produce
industry, in collaboration with the FDA, developed commodity-specifi c guidance
documents for tomatoes and melons (U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2005, 2006).
These guidelines, also voluntary, provide recommendations that refl ect the current
state of thinking of leading food safety experts and serve as the basis for most industry-
initiated requirements for growers.

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