Western Growers has issued a response to the Reagan Udall Foundation's Roadmap to Produce Safety report, released on July 28, 2025. The report emphasizes that food safety in fresh produce should be treated as a shared responsibility, with accountability for both progress and shortcomings distributed across the entire supply chain.
Currently, much of the responsibility for implementing food safety measures falls on growers, who also bear the accountability when progress is not achieved. The report highlights an imbalance, as buyers and suppliers often impose requirements that may not reflect the most effective food safety practices for specific crops or growing conditions.
In many cases, these requirements are shaped by business objectives rather than food safety considerations. This creates challenges for growers, who may lack the flexibility to implement prevention-based improvements tailored to their own operations. For instance, requirements on the distance between leafy green fields and cattle feeding yards in the southwestern United States vary widely, ranging from 1.5 to 5 miles. However, scientific evidence indicates that distance alone is not an adequate risk management strategy.
Such mandates, the report suggests, can distract from developing more dynamic strategies that take into account local conditions, crop types, and agronomic practices. The report also questions whether similar requirements are applied to other parts of the supply chain, such as cattle feeding operations, to address risks that affect neighboring produce farms.
The RUF emphasizes that to achieve shared responsibility, buyer requirements must focus on risk management rather than procedural compliance, align with best practices for specific crops and regions, and be developed through transparent dialogue that includes growers and experts. Input should come from specialists without conflicts of interest to ensure the credibility of standards.
The report concludes that progress in produce safety will require collaboration across the entire supply chain and the global adoption of consistent, science-based standards. Working in isolation, it notes, will not lead to the necessary improvements in food safety outcomes.
For more information:
Western Growers
Tel: +1 949 863 9028
Email: [email protected]
www.wga.com