Tomato Safety Initiative Continues in 2008

In March, FDA, in cooperation with Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida's Department of Health, the University of Florida and CDC, began visiting Florida based tomato farms and packing facilities to assess conditions and practices and to what degree they implement Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices (GAPs/GMPs).

This is a continuation of the Tomato Safety Initiative launched in the summer of 2007.

Assessments of Florida farms and packing facilities were originally planned for the fall of 2007, but were rescheduled to better coincide with the peak production season.

FDA developed the Tomato Safety Initiative in response to recurring Salmonella outbreaks associated with fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes. The initiative is part of a risk-based strategy to reduce foodborne illness by focusing food safety efforts on specific products, practices and growing areas that have been found to be problematic in the past.

The Tomato Safety Initiative is modeled after the Leafy Greens Safety Initiative that was initiated in August 2006, in collaboration with the State of California's Department of Health Services and Department of Food and Agriculture. This new initiative is fully consistent with the 2004 FDA Produce Safety Action Plan goal of minimizing the incidence of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of fresh produce.

Find out more about the initiative at the program's home page.