Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Axed By USDA

By Sam Lewis

Termination of leafy green proposal draws mixed reviews from the produce industry

According to an announcement in the Dec 5 Federal Register, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had decided to terminate the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA). The proposal would have approved the development and implementation of audit metrics in handling leafy green vegetables, like cabbage, lettuce, and spinach, consistent with the FDA’s good production, handling, and manufacturing practices.

Participants handling leafy greens would have been obligated to handle only domestic and imported products meeting audit requirements created in the agreement. Had the program received the nod, it would have been administered by the Agriculture Marketing Service and paid for by assessments gathered from first-party handlers. Advocates of the agreement believed it would have helped to reduce potential microbial contaminations in production and handling systems. Additionally, proponents of the agreement anticipated it would improve consumer confidence in the leafy green vegetable market of the U.S.

On the other side of the coin, some industry leaders indicate that the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) killed LGMA. Taking nearly five years to transpire, too much has changed in food safety and traceability of produce for a national program like LGMA to be pertinent. But other leaders of food safety are criticizing the decision, saying it presented a proactive method that would have given leafy green vegetable producers a chance to create their own food safety plans with supervision from federal governing bodies.

The decision to terminate LGMA raises questions regarding how FSMA will tackle issues relating exclusively to leafy green vegetables in the U.S. Leaders in the produce industry have pledged to continue verify compliance with current rules along with FSMA in the future. The dissolution allows the USDA to fully interact with all interested groups to converse and go through the changing needs of the produce industry and consumers in the future.

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