date:Jan 05, 2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 31, 2012, officially shuttered the $4.5 million Microbiological Data Program (MDP) that conducted 80% of all federal produce testing for pathogens, such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella as reported by Food Safety News.
MDP was launched in 2001 as a data collection program to improve understanding of the prevalence of foodborne pathogens on high-risk fruit and vegetable products and to enhance consumer confidence in the safety of those food pr