CRAE continues efforts to bridge food safety and environmental goals in the E. coli aftermath
April 2009
CRAE members have been working hard to help resolve the food safety and environment conflicts that arose in the wake of the 2006 E. coli outbreak. A CRAE committee has been holding meetings with buyers, handlers, growers, and other key stakeholders in an effort to craft a process to meet multiple objectives, including halting unnecessary environmental damage and ensuring a high level of food safety in Californian leafy green products. Much headway has been made and CRAE member organizations have built a great deal of trust and mutual understanding already. Stay tuned for more news.
CRAE urges formation of Food Safety and Environment Coordinating Council
May 2008
CRAE recently submitted a letter to UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Vice President, Dan Dooley, urging guidance and leadership in forming a multi-stakeholder Food Safety and Environmental Quality Coordinating Council. The council was identified as a top priority at an April 2007 conference organized by UCCE and by many key stakeholders since. CRAE members have been working on developing this idea further and look forward to helping implement the concept.
CRAE helps find common ground on food safety and environmental quality conflict
January 2008
CRAE has been working for many months to find a way through the impasse between food safety concerns and the need to maintain environmental quality in the wake of e. coli cases linked to leafy greens produced in Monterey County. In February 2007, CRAE held an expert panel and stakeholder dialogue to better understand the issues and opportunities for collective action. In December, CRAE branched out and hosted a meeting for key stakeholders. Participants numbered around 50 and included more than a dozen leading buyers, handlers and growers of leafy greens, as well as key scientists, regulators and representatives of conservation groups focused on the issues. This meeting represented a groundbreaking dialogue between conservation and industry interests that served to illuminate the complex issues at play, build trust and mutual understanding, and develop common recommendations for action to simultaneously meet food safety and environmental quality goals. A summary of the meeting can be accessed by clicking here.