Collaborating to Address Heavy Metals in Fresh Produce Supply—A Case Study of Cadmium in Spinach and Carrots Grown in Arizona and California

Le résumé fourni par la source

Providing consumers with safe, nutritious food is a common goal shared by the produce industry, the public health community, government agencies, and academia. To this end, these stakeholders have adopted a collaborative approach to address the challenge of improving the safety of food commonly eaten by infants and children. On 24 to 26 October 2023, Western Growers, in collaboration with federal and state government agencies, organized a pilot workshop in Salinas, CA, focused on cadmium in carrots and spinach grown in Arizona and California. Following a day of touring carrot and leafy green fields, workshop attendees participated in 2 days of panel discussions and presentations on cadmium toxicology and health effects, the nutritional benefits of carrots and spinach, Arizona’s and California’s carrot and spinach production practices, current research on plant uptake of cadmium, and mitigation methods and strategies. Panel discussions focused on obstacles that hinder adoption of methods to reduce cadmium, industry-regulator trust and communication, confidential data sharing, and industry-academia collaborative research. This article is a summary of workshop proceedings highlighting the stakeholders’ expectations and roles as perceived by the attendees and essential support needed for continuous improvement going forward.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.