Jan 3, 2012Local farmers ensuring food safety long before federal bill
Even before President Obama signed a new food safety law on Jan. 4, 2011, Yuma-area farmers had been voluntarily taking steps to ensure the healthy vegetables they produce don’t end up being a health risk instead.
It all starts at ground zero with the soil and water that nurture the plants from seed to maturity. It includes the workers and equipment used in the fields to plant, cultivate and harvest the crops. And it extends to the packing houses and salad plants where the vegetables are cooled, processed and readied for distribution to consumers across the country.
With a new company in town, it even includes sterilization of the semi-trailers that haul the thousands of cartons each day to their destinations.
There’s a lot at stake for the multimillion-dollar industry that goes beyond the bottom line for farmers and shippers. They also want the assurance that the food they produce is the safest and healthiest it can be from field to fork. Yuma Sun
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