 Sonia Jimenez
Deputy Administrator, Specialty Crops Program
We are proud to be your partner and we’ve had an exciting summer,
culminating in the announcement
August 13 that the Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
Plus+ Audit Program for Specialty Crops is now accepted as technically
equivalent by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The achievement
of technical equivalency is the result of a multi-year effort of
numerous divisions within SCP working with the specialty crops industry, the
Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA) team, and GFSI to give America’s specialty crops sector a new tool for delivering
safe products to consumers and growing markets for their products. Since the
program began in 2012, USDA has certified more than 5,300 producers to the
Harmonized GAP Standard. GFSI recognition means these producers now have a new
tool demonstrating they meet the standards required by many of the largest food
distributors. This will help the specialty crops industry selling in
international markets, including distributors in the European Union and Japan
where GFSI certification is often required.
I hope you enjoy this newsletter!
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 Hello, I am Dr. Patty Bennett. I am the new Director of the Marketing Order
and Agreement Division of the Specialty Crops Program of the Agricultural
Marketing Service.
I’ve served with the
USDA as part of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for almost 13
years. While at FSIS, I held key positions in several areas, including as the
Agency’s top veterinarian overseeing humane handling in slaughter
establishments for the last three years, acting Director for Recall and Import
Operations, and acting Chief of Staff for the Office of the Administrator.
I’ve also served as a Branch Chief, Deputy
Director, and acting Director overseeing scientists in the Office of Public
Health, and a Veterinary Medical Officer in the Office of Policy. I regularly collaborated with stakeholders in
industry and consumer groups as well as with other Federal and state agencies.
Before coming to USDA, I practiced small animal and shelter veterinary
medicine.
I have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of
Florida, a Master of Science in Biology from Old Dominion University, and a
Master of Public Policy from George Washington University. I will always
be responsive to our industry and welcome the opportunity to serve you as the
new Director at MOAD.
Please contact me
at your convenience by email at patty.bennett@ams.usda.gov
or by phone at (202) 720-2491. Thank you
and I look forward to hearing from you!
A special “Thank you” to
the thousands of people who participated in the Commodity
Procurement Program webinar on August 16 and 23. Each year, through Commodity Procurement, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases more than 300
different food products to feed millions of school children, families and other
qualified individuals through USDA’s nutrition assistance and international
food aid programs. Participants discovered how they may participate in these
purchases supporting American agriculture and feed Americans in need through Selling Food to USDA.
The Commodity Procurement Program purchases a variety
of domestically produced and processed commodity food products, through a
competitive process among approved vendors. The purchase activities support
American agriculture by encouraging the consumption of domestic foods.
Wholesome, high-quality products, collectively called USDA Foods, are delivered
to schools, food banks, and households in communities across the country and
are a vital component of our nation’s food safety net.
For assistance with vendor issues, contact Andrea
Lang, the program’s New Vendor Coordinator, at andrea.lang@ams.usda.gov.
For information about webinars,
contact Jeffrey Davis at jeffrey.davis4@ams.usda.gov.
Ken Petersen
Chief, Audit Services Branch, Specialty Crops
Inspection Division
Growing specialty crops in
today’s marketplace is becoming more complex. Farmers cannot simply plant a
crop, nurture it to maturity, harvest it, and get it to market. They also must
incorporate a culture of food safety into their operations to gain market access.
Whether it is acquiring an understanding of the Food and Drug Administration’s
(FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule or ensuring their
compliance with buyers’ demands for food safety audit verification, producers
are increasingly being required to spend additional time and resources on food
safety.
 Specialty Crops Market News (SCMN) is delighted to announce two new market reporters: Aramis Harris for the Dallas Wholesale Market and John Newsom, below, for the San Francisco/Oakland area.
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 Specialty Crops Market News provides unbiased, detailed information on marketing conditions for hundreds of agricultural commodities free of charge.
SCMN reporters collect and validate price, volume, quality, and condition information through direct contact with sales staffs, suppliers, brokers, and buyers at major domestic and international wholesale markets, production areas, and ports of entry. SCMN reporters like Aramis and John then analyze and organize the data and make it available within hours of collection on the Specialty Crops Market News portal.
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Marlene Betts
Acting Designated Federal Officer
Fruit & Vegetable Industry
Advisory Committee
The Fruit
and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) charter was
re-established on March 26, 2018, for a two-year period. The charter gives the FVIAC the authority to
operate and continue to examine issues facing the fruit and vegetable industry,
and to provide recommendations and ideas to the Secretary of Agriculture to
tailor its programs to better meet the needs of the fruit and vegetable
industry.
Nominations to fill all 25 positions on the FVIAC were
solicited through publication of notices in the Federal Register in August 2017
and April 2018. We received several
applications and are currently clearing the nominees and putting the nomination
package forward for the Secretary to appoint members. As soon as possible after the appointments
are made, we will post an announcement on our website. Thank you for your interest!
Adam Sparger
AMS Transportation and Marketing Program
The Agricultural Refrigerated Truck Quarterly Report
(AgRTQ) provides a national
and regional overview of the volume,
rates and availability of U.S. refrigerated truckload movements to help identify
trends and reviews relevant economic and regulatory issues to help gauge
impacts on this vital component of transportation for fresh fruit and vegetable
markets.
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