FDA Issues Voluntary Produce Safety Guidelines

We’ve all heard of the E. coli outbreak in fresh spinach and tomatoes, and more recently the Salmonella-tainted peanut butter recall. So what, you may ask, has the FDA done to alleviate our new excuse for not eating our vegetables? Well, earlier this week they came to our rescue with voluntary guidelines to hold the paranoia down and allow everyone to sleep easy and ... wait--did they say voluntary?

The FDA defends the approach by claiming it is more flexible and adjustable than mandatory regulations and is having some success in being adhered to, while critics say it is "too little too late." Will the large and small food growers soon be under mandatory regulations like the meat industry, or can “voluntary guidelines” be an effective means of achieving better food safety? Salad, anyone?

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