Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
hepatitis A virus was linked with 4 deaths. However, the outbreak linked to spinach
was probably the biggest in terms of industry impact, primarily because of the FDA's
announcement to the public to immediately stop consuming bagged spinach.
With so much at stake in terms of the loss of consumer confi dence and potential
for involvement by the federal government, the industry needed to mount a strong
response to the FDA action. By the beginning of the next marketing season (April
2007), the California leafy green industry introduced the California Leafy Green
Marketing Agreement (LGMA). The LGMA is a voluntary state marketing agreement,
which requires that any California leafy greens handled by signatories be produced
according to the agreement's new food safety standards. Although the exact benefi ts
associated with this agreement are uncertain, they are potentially large and refl ect an
assessment by the industry that the benefi ts of such action likely outweigh the costs
of meeting the new standards.
This chapter begins with a description of the U.S. produce industry, with a particu-
lar focus on spinach and other leafy greens, and factors that relate to food safety. The
next section reviews the response to food safety outbreaks, including the FDA's good
agricultural practices (GAPs) and the leafy greens industry's LGMA, which contains
its own Best Practices. The third section discusses the economics of adoption of GAPs
and the LGMA standards. The fourth section examines the economic impact of the
2006 outbreak linked to spinach. We end with some conclusions regarding the role of
economic factors in determining approaches to reducing food safety hazards in fresh
produce.
The U.S. Produce Industry
U.S. consumers are eating more fruit and vegetables, with per capita consumption
increasing 7% from 1990 to 2005. The increase in consumption varies by type of
product, with vegetable consumption increasing by 8% and fruit consumption increas-
ing by 6%. The vegetable per capita consumption statistics include selected vegetables
and potatoes, but do not include mushrooms, sweet potatoes, dry peas and lentils, or
dry edible beans. Fruit consumption statistics include selected fruit, but do not include
tree nuts. Per capita statistics can be found in two annual ERS publications: Fruit and
Tree Nuts Situation and Outlook Yearbook and Vegetables and Melons Situation and
Outlook Yearbook . Total spinach consumption has grown more rapidly than the
average, increasing 90% from 1992 to 2005, from 1.6 pounds per capita to 3 pounds
per capita per annum. If there is a contamination problem associated with a certain
commodity and consumption of that commodity goes up, the probability of an out-
break also increases correspondingly.
Overall, more produce is being consumed fresh than processed (canned, frozen,
dried, or juiced) and the fresh produce share is growing. From 1990 to 2005, the
percent growth in fresh consumption exceeded the growth in total consumption: 15%
for vegetables and 90% for fruit (see Table 22.2). This shift toward fresh products
also increases the associated food safety risk. Produce that is consumed uncooked,
such as raw spinach, poses more risk than produce that has been treated with a kill
step, such as cooking for fresh produce, heating for canned and frozen fruit and veg-
etables, or pasteurization for juice. Spinach consumption patterns have exhibited a
Search WWH ::




Custom Search