Pundit’s Mailbag — Dave Diver: Quality Assurance At Every Level
Our article entitled Insightful PMA Food Safety Sessions Reveals Buyer Hesitancy focused on the idea that we need to separate the buying function from the food safety assurance function through the use of Quality Assurance (QA) departments. The piece brought this comment from a veteran retailer: Your thoughts about retail Quality Assurance takes me back […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — John Krakowski: Buyers Hurting Themselves
Our piece Pundit’s Mailbag — Dole’s Schwartz Comments On Silent Buyers included this challenge: Eric Schwartz says we should “… challenge the buying side of your readership to come forward and help us understand why a mandatory signature to the agreement is not in the best interests of the entire industry.” And so we issued […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — On To The Next Stage
With the California Marketing Agreement deadline looming, it is time to focus on the next step. And that must be the processors themselves. It is probably true, as the FDA stated in its report, that the E coli. 0157:H7 did in fact come from a field. It is simply terrific that we have so many […]
The Effect Of Fresh Express And Its Absence In The CDFA Marketing Agreement
A large grower in Salinas sent us this question: I would like to know your opinion of the absence of Fresh Express in the Marketing Agreement and what effect it will eventually have on Dean Florez’s legislation. I questioned WGA’s percentage of the handlers in the MA and they agreed that there was a problem […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — NRA And Liability
With the National Restaurant Association’s Food Safety Conference fast approaching, our coverage has been substantial: NRA Forms Produce Safety Working Group kicked off our coverage over four months ago, and we discussed NRA’s plans regarding produce safety. National Restaurant Association Soon To Unveil Its Own Food Safety Plan was a substantial interview with an NRA […]
Craig Carson’s Life And Passions
Our piece yesterday regarding the untimely passing of Craig Carson of Crunch-Pak brought this kind letter from one who knew Craig and who attended his memorial service: In Memory of Craig Carson I have had the pleasure of working with, and getting to know, Craig Carson since I started at the Pear Bureau in 1989. […]
Reasons For Buyer Reticence
To Commit To Marketing Agreement
The Buyer-led Food Safety Initiative is taking a lot of heat because after specifically asking for the establishment of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, very few of the signatories are willing to commit to buying from only those producers that are part of the Agreement. Most of the signatories are not even willing to […]
GAP Program Still Leaves Questions
The California Department of Food and Ag came out with its press release announcing what we announced yesterday — that the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Board has accepted the industry-generated GAP for use in its verification program. You can read the release here. The release raises three interesting points: POINT ONE: The metrics, which are […]
California Marketing Board
Accepts GAP Metrics
It is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, at last, the end of the beginning. On Friday, March 23, 2007, the California Leafy Green Advisory Board accepted the metrics to be used in the marketing agreement’s verification program. You can see the Marketing Agreement here and […]
Pundit’s Mailbag —
Dole’s Schwartz Comments On Silent Buyers
Our piece Tim York Points Out Buyer Commitment To Food Safety brought this trenchant commentary: Tim York and Dave Corsi have gone above and beyond in helping drive the leafy greens food safety initiatives. The reality is that only Markon (Tim York) and Wegmans (Dave Corsi) have specifically spelled out that their leafy greens suppliers […]
