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NY Launches Food Standards Certification Program

New York has established a certification program for the state's food producers who maintain certain agricultural practices for environmental conservation and safety.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says food safety is a growing concern and the marketplace is flooded with unverified claims like "natural" and produce marked "organic" from countries where there is widespread pollution.

The Department of Ag and Markets has established a seal for New York State Grown and Certified products.

Qualified farmers and other producers will have to join the state's agricultural environmental management program, and they'll need to undergo an independent annual food safety audit like the U.S. Department of Agriculture's program, which certifies fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled and stored as safely as possible to minimize risk of disease-causing bacteria and other microbes.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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