Food safety input collected in Monterey Co.

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Food safety authorities were in Monterey County earlier this week gathering information from farmers, conservationists and scientists about new rules regulating the fresh produce industry, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

UC Cooperative Extension was represented by the director of Monterey County's UC Cooperative Extension office, Sonya Varea-Hammond. She is pictured at the meeting with the director of the Food Safety Project, Jim O'Hara, in the The Packer.

The Monterey forum was the fifth in a series offered by the Food Safety Project to gather comments and input to send to the FDA in May. The Packer story said the Food Safety Project "worked with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources during the forums."

The new rules being considered at the meeting, according to the Chron, are separate from food safety legislation now being considered by the Senate. However, they are similarly a reaction to a growing number of fruit and vegetable related food-borne illnesses.

The article, written by Stacy Finz, says one of the fears expressed at the meeting is that the FDA will adopt regulations without regard for farm size, the type of crop grown and risk levels.

"A lot of what they're talking about seems too expensive to me," the story quoted Kevin McEnnis, owner of a 20-acre Santa Rosa farm. "I'm concerned that they're not as interested in our interests. We just don't have a lot of clout."

The safety of fresh produce the subject of Monterey County forum.