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Western Growers Responds to Industry Food Safety Concerns

IRVINE, Calif. - In a letter, Tom Nassif, chief executive officer of Western Growers, called for a unifying approach to food safety and noted the process to make stringent food safety guidelines mandatory throughout the industry is being coordinated with other produce trade groups including the Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh.

IRVINE, Calif. - In a letter, Tom Nassif, chief executive officer of Western Growers, called for a unifying approach to food safety and noted the process to make stringent food safety guidelines mandatory throughout the industry is being coordinated with other produce trade groups including the Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh. The letter, addressed to the Food Marketing Institute, the National Restaurant Association and the Markon Cooperative, a produce buying agent, came in response to safety concerns raised by food retailers and food service industry representatives in the wake of the E. coli outbreak linked to spinach. The letter addressed steps taken to date to restore consumer confidence and ensure food safety all along the supply chain. The letter also outlined the progress of the State Marketing Agreement and a State and Federal Marketing Order, which the Western Growers‘ board of directors voted to initiate in October.