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FPAA, Center For Produce Safety launch U.S.-Mexico Food Safety Symposium

The new U.S.-Mexico Food Safety Symposium, an addition to the already robust lineup for the 2014 America Trades Produce Conference, will highlight how importers and their grower partners can help ensure a safe food supply.

The event is in collaboration between the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and the Center for Produce Safety in Davis, CA. This new component runs from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, the afternoon before the main ATPC event. Registration is separate.

In addition to the U.S.-Mexico Food Safety Symposium, Mike Taylor, deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, has been confirmed as a speaker during the main portion of the America Trades Produce Conference.

In a March 13 seminar entitled "Mexico and the US: Partnering for Food Safety," Taylor is slated to join invited speaker Hugo Fragoso, director general of food safety for foods, livestock and fisheries at SENASICA.

"The collaboration and creativity in the 2014 program development has been outstanding," Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, said in a press release. "Bringing top government food-safety officials from Mexico and the United States into the same space as growers and importers, along with a major research institution like the Center for Produce Safety, shows the supply chain's dedication to food safety."

Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, executive director of CPS, will lead a session that explores how companies can build a body of knowledge to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

"CPS is honored to partner with the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas to tailor a program specific to the interests of the FPAA membership," Fernandez-Fenaroli said. "This forum is designed for participants to learn directly from those who have built food-safety cultures in their companies and to identify resources available to support strong food-safety programs."

Additional topics at the U.S. Mexico Food Safety Symposium include the following:

  • Leading Food Safety From the Top: Establishing a food safety culture within your company, starting at the CEO-level.
  • The Food Safety Data Build: Constructing a Body of Knowledge to Reduce the Risk of Foodborne Illness.
  • Center for Produce Safety Partners in Research Program.

"The ATPC continues to evolve, and this new component with Center for Produce Safety is a way to acknowledge the increasing emphasis on food safety of Mexican produce and to give companies the opportunity to engage proactively in the process," Alejandro Canelos, chairman of FPAA and director of Nogales-based Apache Produce, added in the press release.

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