The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced targeted sampling of farm- and ranch-grown leafy greens during the fall 2022 harvest season in the Salinas Valley area of California, and has announced the results of the 2021 sampling allocation, We provide updates on other work under Action. schedule.
This is part of the FDA’s goal to make leafy greens safer through continued implementation of the Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan (LGAP).
During the 2022 fall harvest, FDA plans to collect approximately 240 lettuce samples from farms and ranches in the Salinas Valley. These farms and ranches have been identified by recent traceback investigations as being potentially linked to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in which lettuce and leafy greens are probable or suspected food vectors. rice field. FDA may also collect environmental samples such as water, soil, and faeces from time to time based on observations at the time of sampling and the farm/ranch’s past inspection history. All samples are tested for Salmonella. and E. coli O157:H7, and sampling will begin in mid-September and run through October.
Sampling efforts are designed to detect and prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers, identify practices and conditions that may pose microbial risks to leafy vegetable growers and processors, and improve their operations. It is intended to be able to enhance the microbiological safety of
2021 Issue Summary Report
In 2021, the FDA will conduct sampling quotas for different leafy greens and release a summary report of the results. As part of this mission, the agency collected lettuce from commercial coolers in California’s Salinas Valley growing area and tested samples for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. Between May and November 2021. This report describes the detection of Salmonella enterica in one green leaf sample and his STEC in two other his samples. In each case, the potentially contaminated product was destroyed and a follow-up examination was performed.
Learn more about the 2021 report here.
About Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan
According to the FDA, ongoing outbreaks and ongoing concerns about contamination of leafy greens underscore the need for increased vigilance related to prevention throughout the supply chain. We have worked to strengthen the safety of leafy greens through our Plan of Action (LGAP).
Additional information about the Action Plan can be found on the FDA’s website.
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