FDA Announces Product Sampling of Leafy Greens in the Salinas Valley With Improved Procedures for Producers

SALINAS, CA – Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will conduct a sampling assignment of a select few farms producing and harvesting leafy greens in the Salinas Valley agricultural region of California from September 19 to October 30, 2022. After Rep. Panetta's constant communication with local producers and continued advocacy with the FDA, he secured improved procedures that will be more targeted and transparent in conducting this sampling assignment during this 2022 harvest season.

In 2021, the FDA implemented a leafy green testing process entailing days-long turnaround periods in testing, unannounced visits and samplings, and post-harvest location sampling. Such convoluted and complicated procedures used by the FDA in 2021 resulted in large amounts of this highly perishable crop being wasted. After numerous meetings with local producers and visits to sampling sites in the Salinas Valley, Rep. Panetta immediately met with the FDA's leadership, including former Commissioner Janet Woodcock, Associate FDA Commissioner Judy McMeekin, Deputy FDA Commissioner Frank Yiannas, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Susan Mayne, and, recently, Commissioner Robert Califf. Rep. Panetta informed them of the FDA's burdensome and wasteful sampling procedures and requested more transparent, efficient, and preserving procedures in any future sampling. Subsequently, Rep. Panetta secured report language in the Fiscal Year 2021 and 2022 Appropriations bills on leafy green food safety to encourage FDA to collaborate with industry before, during, and after foodborne illness outbreaks.

The 2022 sampling of leafy greens in the Salinas Valley agricultural region will entail the collection of close to 240 product samples. This sampling will take place only in the fields pre-harvest, entail 24-hour notification to the producer, mandate a delivery of the sample to the FDA laboratory within 24 hours, and guarantee results within five days for a positive sample and three days for a negative result.

"Consumer safety is the priority when it comes to our leafy green growers in the Salinas Valley. However, last year's sampling assignment by the FDA caused a significant amount of wasted product due to a bureaucratic, somewhat inefficient, and unempathetic process," said Rep. Panetta. "After working closely with our producers on the Central Coast to ensure that their voices were heard by the FDA, we now have a more efficient and timely process for the FDA to evaluate crop quality and safety. I commend the FDA for listening as its new sampling assignment allows our growers to maximize their yield while ensuring the highest standards of safety for our consumers."

For additional questions on this sampling assignment, the FDA has set up a dedicated contact email at salinassampling@fda.hhs.gov.

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