We live in one of the most agriculturally productive areas on earth.
But you may not know that Central California is also leading the world in food technology.
Sun Valley Packing in Reedley is a world-leader in new technology. They've added a safety measure that keeps an electronic eye on everything going through the plant.
Mike Enns helped develop the system at Reedley-based Produce Jet. He says, "Food safety is the critical part of what we're trying to do here. We're trying to make sure we trace the food from its source all the way to the final consumer."
The system uses high-tech tools from around the world. The cameras come from Canada. The labelers are made in Missouri by Diagraph.
Food borne illnesses can spread quickly and are sometimes deadly.
In 2006, an E. coli outbreak in spinach sickened hundreds. Three people died. Officials followed the food backwards from point to point. It took time to find the source. Meanwhile, the FDA told people not to eat spinach at all. An entire industry came to a halt. They finally found the problem came from just one field.
The new technology at Sun Valley Packing would speed up that type of investigation. Cameras identify and track produce, writing a digital biography on all the food that comes through. Each story is titled with a bar code that’s placed on every carton. Workers, inspectors, shippers and retailers can check out any food’s history in an electronic library.
Many in the industry already keep detailed records without new technology because it costs too much. Electronic systems aren’t just computers, cameras and labels. Sometimes the entire workings of assembly lines need change.
Chris Valadez of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League says, while new traceability technology is of great value to some producers, it doesn’t make sense for some operations at this time.
It’s one reason industry leaders are taking the lead through the Produce Traceability Initiative, or PTI. “From within industry before being in a situation where government is dictating or regulating how industry or the private sector is supposed to speed up or employ traceability."
PTI participation is voluntary. And aside from cost there are other concerns from farm location to the size of the operation.
Some types of food are more difficult than others. Some have proven easy.
Strawberries are often put directly into their selling containers as they’re picked in the field. Each container can be individually labeled, making a traceability system that’s precise and - in some cases – open to the consumer.
Harvestmark is one kind of label brands are already displaying in stores on food like strawberries. It’s a code you can look up online or scan with your smart phone. It accesses data from the producer including things like location, maps and day of harvest. They pay an additional cost but it’s free to you.
Shopper Callie Medeiros says, “I think more people would buy their product and more stores would be interested in their product if they had it available."
