Experts Say County’s Food Supply Is Safe

Despite public concerns about pesticides and such exotic, food-borne ailments as the “mad cow disease” recently found in British beef, Ventura County’s food supply is safe, two agricultural experts said Wednesday.

Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail and the president of a food-safety consulting firm made their assessments at a conference at the Oxnard Hilton.

The Western Growers Assn., a trade group representing members of the fresh produce industry, sponsored the conference to educate the public about food-safety measures.

McPhail said county farmers need a permit from his office to use many pesticides, allowing the county to keep tabs on the use of chemicals. About 45% of his staff members’ time, he said, is devoted to pesticide enforcement and worker safety.

“It doesn’t mean problems won’t occur,” he said. “But we have a really good safety record here in Ventura County.”

Robert Stovicek, president of Primus Laboratories in Santa Maria, said California farmers do a better job of protecting produce from contamination than do farmers in many other states.

He noted, however, that studies by the Centers for Disease Control have found that fruits and vegetables can carry diseases, including salmonella. The problem, Stovicek said, lies mostly with retailers stocking different types of produce for longer periods of time, allowing bacteria time to grow.

The produce industry will have to pay more attention to diseases, he said, as consumers buy more prepackaged vegetables--such as ready-made salads or sliced mushrooms--that often sit on grocery store shelves for weeks.