Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/601575
ByMaryClareJalonick The Associated Press WASHINGTON TheObama administration wants you to eat your fruits and veg- etables. They also want the produce to be safe. Long-awaited rules is- sued by the Food and Drug Administration Friday are designed to help prevent large-scale, deadly out- breaks of foodborne illness like those linked to fresh spinach, cantaloupes, cu- cumbers and other foods over the last decade. That means making sure work- ers are trained to wash their hands, irrigation wa- ter is monitored for harm- ful bacteria and animals do not leave droppings in fields. The rules will phase in over the next several years and give the FDA sweep- ing new oversight over how food is grown on farms. The majority of farmers and food manufacturers already follow good safety practices, but the rules are intended to give greater fo- cus on prevention in a sys- tem that has been largely re- active after large outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention es- timate that 48 million peo- ple — or 1 in 6 people in the United States — are sick- ened each year from food- borne diseases, and an es- timated 3,000 people die. The Obama adminis- tration has said they don't want people to eat fewer fruits and vegetables be- cause of safety concerns. "The rules will help bet- ter protect consumers from foodborne illness and strengthen their confidence that modern preventive practices are in place, no matter where in the world the food is produced," said Michael Taylor, the FDA deputy commissioner for foods. The FDA also released rules Friday that will re- quire importers to be more accountable for the safety of food they bring into the U.S. market. Taylor said both rules could help prevent illnesses such as an ongoing out- break of salmonella linked to cucumber imported from Mexico. In that outbreak, four people have died and more than 700 people have fallen ill. There have been many other outbreaks linked to produce in recent years. In 2006, E. coli in fresh spinach was linked to sev- eral deaths, including a 2-year-old. The CDC later issued a report saying the cause may have been con- taminated irrigation wa- ter. A 2011 outbreak of listeria linked to canta- loupes killed 33 people. In a recent outbreak of cy- clospora illnesses linked to imported Mexican ci- lantro, American investi- gators found toilet paper and human feces in the fields where it was grown. The rules are new terri- tory for the Food and Drug Administration, which has never before had such broad authority to over- see how food is grown on farms. The agency has haggled over how to write the rules since Con- gress approved them in 2010, trying to find a bal- ance between food safety and regulating farms with safety measures already in place. The FDA originally pro- posed the produce rules in 2013, but rewrote them last year after some farmers said they would be too bur- densome. The final rules, released under a court-or- dered deadline after advo- cacy groups sued over the delays, largely follow that rewrite. HEALTH New produce safety rules aim to prevent illness outbreaks 365-7194or365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING The Single Best Advertising Tool....! The Gold Exchange has been a part of the TVWeek advertising package for over 4 years. This has proven to be the single best advertising tool for print that I have found in my 21 years of retail advertising. I get a free ad in the Daily News every week in addition to my ad in the TV magazine. By changing my ad every week I can target specific customers for what is going on in my business, such as sales, or just to thank the community for their support. I highly recommend it as the most cost effective advertising tool that your customers will respond to, week in and week out. 530 528-8000 413 Walnut St. Red Bluff www.redbluffgoldexchange.com•www.angelsamongusall.com PublishedbyTheDailyNewswithgreatappreciationfor the support of local businesses! Enrollment, Plan Changes, Income & Subsidy Modifications 805 Walnut Street CornerofWalnut&Jackson Red Bluff 530-840-6611 Lic# OK13422 ENROLLMENT Service Assistance CertifiedInsuranceAgent Dec.3,4&5 Thurs, Fri, & Sat. 9:30am-6:00pm For Custom Wreaths & Designs ALL FRESH WEATHS, ARRANGEMENTS and more 645AntelopeBlvd.Ste11 Frontier Village (across form the Fairgrounds) Holiday Scholarship Boutique RedBluffGardenClub Calltoorder 941-1516 or 527-2226 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B