US (CO): Colorado adopts cantaloupe safety measures
John Salazar, Colorado's commission of agriculture, has enlisted Colorado's growers who want to carry on the "Rocky Ford" brand of cantaloupes into a new $150,000 state program. The money will go for enforcement and marketing.
The growers will accept biannual safety audits that will be carried out by a state inspection team.
The first inspection will be announced prior to taking place and will give growers the opportunity to bring their standards up to the required level. The second, however, will not be announced and will ensure that the growers remain compliant throughout the year.
Other steps being taken to ensure safety will include forced air cooling to reduce the temperature of harvested cantaloupes and the introduction of traceability via smartphone codes.
The good agricultural practices (GAP) adopted by Colorado were developed in January at the behest of California cantaloupe growers in meetings led by the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California, Davis.
While 25 to 30 Colorado cantaloupe growers were hurt by the outbreak traced back to Jensen Farms, So too were growers based in California and Arizona.
Source: www.foodsafetynews.com