Knowing that the food you eat is safe is many times taken for granted by most Americans. The only time we really think about food safety is when something happens to the food supply that makes people sick.

America has one of the safest food supplies in the world, and that has to do with the regulations in place. What also makes the food supply safe is the conscientious efforts of farmers and other players in the food supply chain. However, we all know that no system is perfect and things do happen.

In a Monday letter to Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Food Safety Director Beth Oleson, the Food and Drug Administration announced its intent to “initiate inspections with a sampling component at the subset of the cantaloupe packing houses” across the United States during the 2013 growing season.

According to the letter, this action comes as a response to repeated bacteria outbreaks in cantaloupes that originate in the packing house. The FDA also said it intended to focus sampling on imported cantaloupes and “may engage in other surveillance and inspection activities” as circumstances warrant.

“The FDA is sending a strong message to the cantaloupe industry with this letter,” Oleson said.

According to Oleson, after the 2012 outbreak linked to Chamberlain Farms, GFVGA’s cantaloupe producers took a proactive approach by coming together to review current guidance and practices in eastern cantaloupes.

“Many of GFVGA’s cantaloupe producers had already begun to implement risk assessments in their farm and packing operations in an effort to minimize potential contamination,” she said. “They have committed to the highest food safety standards in the industry.”

The letter urged the cantaloupe industry to review its current operations alongside the recently released “Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards for Fruits and Vegetables” and the draft guidance titled “Guidance for Industry: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Melons.”

Together, these documents recommend both good agricultural practices and current good manufacturing practices that growers, harvesters, sorters, packers and processors should adhere to in order to address common risks among their operations.

The recently released commodity-specific national guidelines for cantaloupes and netted melons can be found and downloaded at no charge at www.cantaloupe-guidance.org. The FDA commended members of the cantaloupe industry for their initiative and responsibility to highest standards of food safety for the best interest of consumers.

For more information about current food safety programs and on-farm practices, contact Oleson at 706-845-8200.

Michael Wheeler is county extension coordinator for the UGA Cooperative Extension in Hall County. You can contact him at 770-535-8293, www.hallcounty.org/extension. His column appears biweekly on Thursday’s Business page and at gainesvilletimes.com.