Senator Boxer: Food Safety Training for Farmers   

Tuesday, December 8, 2009  

Dear Friend:

In coming months, Congress is expected to take up food safety reform.  I have joined in an effort to ensure that farmers and small-scale processors are able to comply with new food safety regulations without negative impacts. 

Introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow, the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Program Act (S.2758), of which I am an original cosponsor, would authorize funding for a competitive grant program to provide food safety training for farmers, giving priority to applications that serve small and medium-sized operations. 

California is home to a rich diversity of agriculture, including many small and medium-sized farms and producers.  I am working to ensure that any new food safety reform is mindful of these smaller producers and that it will include programs to provide training in such activities as handling and manufacturing practices, produce safety standards, risk analysis and preventive control mechanism, sanitation standards, safe packaging and other activities.

You can count on me to continue to work to ensure that California agriculture remains productive. 

Sincerely,