MISSION, TX - The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) and Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) are coming together for a monumental effort. As operators begin submitting their comments in the Federal Register on the proposed FSMA Produce Safety Rule’s Agricultural Water Guidelines, the organizations are helping Spanish-speaking growers by translating their submissions to English.

“Our associations are familiar with the challenges that can arise when communicating in a different language,” said Dante Galeazzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIPA. “To help Spanish speakers get their comments provided to the Federal Register, TIPA and FPAA have partnered to coordinate translation services for those companies, using a list of volunteer food safety subject-matter-experts to have those comments translated into English.”

According to a press release, this ruling will impact how millions of pounds of fresh produce are governed with regards to the usage of agricultural water.

“The volume of fresh produce that arrives from areas such as Mexico has grown over the course of the last decade. And no one can argue the importance of food safety,” says Lance Jungmeyer, President and Chief Executive Officer of FPAA. “We want producers and handlers of Mexican fresh fruits and vegetables to be able to express their concerns or support for the proposed rule. This is significant because these are the same people on the ground in those countries, who need to share with our industries and governments their opinions about the challenges posed by certain regulations.”

To send comments in Spanish for translation, growers can contact either Georgina Felix at the FPAA or Kim Avendano at TIPA. The associations will help funnel the comments to a network of experts, who will then work with the growers to move their comments into English, all at no cost. Growers can then post their comments into the Federal Register for consideration by FDA for final rulemaking.

Comments are due by April 5, so TIPA and FPAA request that all comments be submitted by the end of today, March 31. For more on the proposed rule or to submit a comment, please click here.

As more reports come to light surrounding this ruling, ANUK will keep you updated.

Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Texas International Produce Association