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Food Safety

Growers Express recalls veggie noodles and crumbles for possible listeria

Company pulls the products after single positive test from state health officials

July 2, 2019

Growers Express recalled Trader Joe’s sweet potato and zucchini noodles and other bagged, chopped fresh vegetables for possible listeria contamination.

Food Safety

Salmonella outbreak linked to whole, fresh papayas from Mexico

Health officials ask suppliers, businesses nationwide to hold back the fruit

Rose Shilling

July 1, 2019

A salmonella outbreak is likely from whole papayas from Mexico, and people in six Northeastern states shouldn’t eat them, health officials advise.

Regulatory Watch

Mushroom Council membership reallocated per AMS

Sharon Spielman

June 17, 2019

This rule reallocates the membership of the council under the AMS regulations regarding a national research and promotion program for mushrooms.

Study reveals significant shelf-life variability in produce among leading grocery stores

The research found that the freshness of produce – specifically strawberries, romaine lettuce and packaged salad mixes – varied significantly from store to store as well as within each individual store.

June 10, 2019

Zest Labs, San Jose, Calif., released the results of new research study measuring and comparing the shelf life (or freshness) of produce sold at major grocery chain stores across the United States.

Food Safety

Kroger recalls frozen berries over hepatitis concern

FDA found the virus through an ongoing frozen berry testing effort

Rose Shilling

June 10, 2019

Kroger recalled store-brand bags of frozen berries from its chain of grocery stores because the FDA found the hepatitis A virus in a blackberry sample.

Regulatory Watch

Frozen mangos covered commodity per AMS rule

Sharon Spielman

April 19, 2019

A new final rule amends the AMS regulations regarding a fresh mango national research and promotion program to include frozen mangos as a covered commodity under the Mango Promotion, Research and Information Order.

Regulatory Watch

Decreased assessment rates for kiwifruit grown in California

March 18, 2019

The USDA has implemented a recommendation from the Kiwifruit Administrative Committee to decrease the assessment rate established for the 2018-2019 and subsequent fiscal periods.

Innovation

Apeel and Nature’s Pride team up to extend avocado shelf life in Europe

The technology is expected to double the shelf life of avocados

Wayne Labs

February 5, 2019

Apeel Sciences—World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and featured in Food Engineering’s Engineering R&D—and Nature’s Pride, a major European supplier of avocados, will work together to integrate Apeel’s plant-derived food waste prevention technology across Nature’s Pride expansive European avocado value chain, pending EU regulatory approval

Sustainability

Hydroponic produce offers sustainable solution

Green Life Farms announces 100,000-sq.-ft. hydroponic greenhouse Florida

Wayne Labs

November 30, 2018

Green Life Farms has announced a partnership with Hydronov to design and build a sustainable hydroponic greenhouse in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Food Safety

PTI Leadership Council looks toward further industry collaboration

The emphasis is on traceability and the use of Blockchain to enable traceability from farm to fork.

Wayne Labs

August 20, 2018

The Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) Leadership Council recently met to refuel industry discussions due to recent events having put a new spotlight on traceability, including recent foodborne illness outbreak investigations, release in Canada of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and projects exploring the benefits of Blockchain for the food supply chain.