Background

A national leafy greens marketing agreement has been proposed to empower industry representatives to engage formally and proactively with USDA and the USFDA in the creation of a collaborative program that will improve the quality of leafy green products by developing good agricultural, handling and manufacturing practices and a corresponding verification program that will reduce the potential for microbial contamination in the supply chain. Development of these best practices within the agreement framework would ensure the adoption of science-based, scalable, and regionally flexible metrics in conformance with the FDA’s guidance and regulation. Coupled with a corresponding audit-based verification program, these best practices would minimize microbial contamination of fresh leafy green vegetables in the growing and handling processes, enhance the overall quality of fresh product in the marketplace, and boost public confidence in these commodities. Ultimately, an agreement would support the marketability of fresh leafy green vegetables and overall stability of the industry.