CEA Alliance Publishes Second Edition of Food Safety Guidelines for Leafy Greens

Washington, D.C. – The CEA Alliance has updated its Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Controlled Environment Agriculture, Focused on Leafy Greens and Herbs, publishing a 2nd Edition of the popular document.

“Our understanding of food safety risks and mitigations for CEA-grown leafy greens and herbs has evolved at a rapid pace, triggering the revisions to the Food Safety Guidelines,” said Monica Noble, Chair of the Alliance Food Safety Working Group, and Vice President, Quality & Food Safety at 80 Acres Farms. “The updated version describes how new regulations related to traceability and agricultural water apply to the sector, and incorporates new scientific research and knowledge,” she said.

“I really appreciate the depth of work undertaken by our members to update this important document, making sure we base our recommendations on the latest science and regulatory framework,” said Alliance Executive Director Tom Stenzel. “I also want to thank Dr. Jennifer McEntire and her team at Food Safety Strategy for leading this effort,” he said.

The original document published in 2023 has been the most downloaded publication in the CEA Alliance’s history, reaching growers, retailers, researchers and regulators around the world. The new 2nd Edition Document is now available on the Resources page at www.ceaalliance.com.

The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance (CEA Alliance) is a membership trade association representing and serving vertical farms and greenhouse producers growing fruits and vegetables in a highly controlled indoor production environment. Controlled environment growers employ a variety of agricultural production methods and technology to create optimal growing conditions with rigorous environmental controls. Growers utilize innovative technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaponics, and soil-based systems to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. For more information, please contact Tom Stenzel, Executive Director, at Tom@CEAAlliance.com.